The Grown Up Little Vampire
by Failing Grace
Summary: The Little Vampire...only older. Scotland offers Tony Thompson the experience of a lifetime-- to save a clan of vampires, and maybe, just maybe, fall in love with one of them. BL TonyxRudolf.
1. Scottish Nightmares

A/N.

So, _The Little Vampire_ is a good movie. And basically, it is the most precious thing ever. But of course, precious translates into love, somehow, but I didn't feel completely comfortable slashing these two young children…so, this is basically turned into The Little Vampire…but Older. Tony's seventeen and Rudolf's nineteen (in appearance, of course).

Anywho.  
This is REALLY almost completely directly based on the movie.

If something sounds like it's from the movie, chances are, it probably is. I did add a lot to it, though. The movie only takes place over three days, and mine now takes place over a week and a half.  
If you have the movie, I'd highly recommend watching it again.  
Then read this.  
If not, don't worry about it, and just let me know what you think. As in, please let me know what you think. It would be greatly appreciated.

DISCLAIMER: The Little Vampire belongs to Avrora Media.  
All the fun little details, well, that's me. :]

* * *

Scotland.

The absolute and total bane of my existence. For sixteen and a half years of my life, I've lived in San Diego, California. At my high school, I was by no means the most popular guy there, but I was happy; I was the captain of my golfing team, I got good grades, I had the best group of friends a guy could ask for, and the sweetest girlfriend in possibly the entire world.

But all of that changed.

We moved…to Scotland…

**Tuesday Night**

"Okay…binders, science books…calculator—" I tossed the things on the bed, now avidly looking for my calculus book. Much to my dismay, just because we moved to Scotland didn't mean I had managed to escape Calculus.

My eyes narrowed on the book, once I had found it under my desk. "There you are, you son of a—"

The moon was so bright and beautiful; I never would have had a chance to see it like that in the States. And from my onlooker's perspective, there was a large, yellow-ish-pink comet only inches from eclipsing it.

Suddenly, a tall, pale, middle-aged aristocrat held up an amulet, it's inside gem beginning to spin in the moon's bright light. His gaze at the celestial body was incredibly intense, and at last, his stoic mouth opened, and in a clear commanding voice, he said "_Ovovo intoto nil desperadum cine dea_."

Lightning flashed, drawing my attention away from the man. Around him I could see many other Aristocratic people— probably around twenty or so. There were other men, although none quite as attention-commanding as the one with the amulet; women, all beautiful, but deathly pale; a handful of people my age, and a couple of children.

It was then when the comet at last met the edge of the moon, a violently red light descending upon the gathering. There was ecstatic chatter as the beam reached the amulet, and a sudden, pleased grin rippled across the stoic lips. Together, the group of pale beings inhaled, as if bracing themselves for an impact.

But malicious laughter filled the night, overpowering the sound of thunder.

Horrified, the pale ones turned, their eyes alight with fear, calling warnings of safety— to stay back behind the stoic one. Yet, there comes a time when all are filled with the thoughts of fight or flight; and this decision only had one option— they must fight. Several of them growled, their snarls exemplified by their enlarged canines. The vampires were not going down without a fight.

"Vampires!" The hunter called, yanking the reins of his horses so they came to a skidding halt. He reached around him, pulling out a sword-like structure; as the stoic man lunged toward him, wooden edges fell to the side, creating a double cross.

Cringing and hissing as the structure was thrust towards him, his eyes widened in realization as the hunter shouted, "Give me that stone!" As the hunter reached for his chest, the stoic one blocked, their grip becoming vice-like as the wrestle for the precious stone ensued. Curses and hisses were exchanged as the lightning ravaged the scene around them and more cautious shouts from the onlookers were thrown to the wind.

With a final jerk of arms, the center of the amulet— the gem, the oh-so precious stone— was flung high into the air, leaving them all staring after it. After only a split moment, wails of despair rose up, but at that same moment, another man, some one caught between my age and that of the leader, took off towards the edge of the cliff, intent on saving the stone before it hit the waves. His long, wavy blonde hair and robes billowed behind him as he jumped, letting out a terrifying cry. The stone fell into me and at that moment, I knew this blonde vampire was going to tear it out of me if he had to. His yell became louder and louder, until it was all I could hear—

Then there was another crash of thunder.

"Tony! Tony, oh my God, baby, are you okay? Bob, did you get the washcloth yet?"

"Yeah, I got it, here."

Something cool was being pressed against my forehead, but at the same time, something was beginning to sting. I tried to open my eyes to see what was going on, but warm, crimson filled part of my sight; I rubbed at my left eye in hopes of getting it back.

"Oh, here, honey…" The cool washcloth was then pressed against my eye, gentle wiping motions accompanying it.

Finally able to see a little clearer, I made out my mother kneeling over me, while above her my father loomed, his hands set firm against his hips. "What…what happened?" I asked, trying to sit up.

Pressing her hand against my back to try to steady me, my mom continued to dab at my forehead with the now-bloody washcloth. "We heard a crash…we think you fainted again. You must have hit your head against your desk when you fell."

"_Again_??" I sighed, hoping this wasn't going to become some sort of routine. Already in the month we had been living in Scotland, I had passed out fourteen times, giving myself a collection of bumps, bruises, and now a gash.

Cautiously, my mom asked "Did you have one of those dreams again?"

"You mean the vampires? Yeah…I did…" That too, had accompanied the bumps and bruises; every time I had fainted, I had seen the same group of vampires on the same cliff, performing the same ritual in front of the moon.

My dad sighed as well, rolling his eyes, before wiping his face with his hand. "This is ridiculous…I've got to get some sleep…" And with that, he sulked out of my room without another word.

I frowned some, watching the retreating figure of my father.

"Oh, don't mind him, Tony…he'll be better once he gets some more sleep."

Somehow, I didn't quite believe what she was telling me; he had had the entire month to get some sleep, after all, he had only started his new job a week ago. And even though I knew well enough his moodiness affected my mother too, I couldn't help feel terribly jaded. Because I had grown up an only child, my dad was basically my close friend…but ever since we moved to Scotland, he had become more distant.

"Mom," I asked after a moment, "Do you like this place?"

"It's a big change for you, I know. A new house, new country…"

I sighed, shaking my head and moving away from the washcloth. "That's not what I asked…"

She sighed as well, running her hand through her bed-tasseled hair, getting to her feet. "Why don't we talk about this later, Tony…you have school in the morning and I need to go grocery shopping tomorrow…" She trailed off, kissing the top of my head. "Go to sleep, sweetie, I'll see you in the morning."

As my door closed, I shoved myself to my feet, shoving all of my school supplies roughly off my bed before falling on it face first, giving no regard to my newly acquired gash. I hated Scotland.


	2. Meeting My Best Friend

**Wednesday**

The entire morning was spent dealing with my fretting mother. Because, apparently, having eleven full years of waking up and getting myself ready for school wasn't enough, she had felt compelled to it for every day of the two weeks I had already been in school. I woke up to her yanking back the curtains, my blankets, and then her scrambling around in my closet.

After convincing her that I did, in fact, know how to dress myself, she scurried downstairs to make me breakfast… something else I could easily manage. When I took my shower, I was not-so nicely reminded that I had a new gash on my forehead and sighed, knowing my blonde hair couldn't cover it up even if I tried to style it that way. I dried off and dressed before making my way downstairs where I could smell… well, _something _burning, to be frank. As great of a cook as my mom was, she just couldn't get used to the Scottish stoves, which meant, everything generally ended up burnt.

I waved off the burnt eggs, grabbing a few pieces of semi-charred toast, insisting we were going to be late, which, unfortunately, was a bad move, considering it sent my mother into another flurry of worry.

"Come on, come on, honey, we're going to be late. Do you have everything?" She asked as she literally flew to the car, watching in dismay as I lagged behind her. When I finally reached the ugly silver thing I was regrettably forced to call a car, she ushered me in, ducking my head for me, saying, "Come on, jump in. Put your seatbelt on."

As if I didn't already know that. What I didn't know was why my parents insisted that I be driven to school even though I was fully capable of driving myself; we had two cars, and dad commuted to work, so why I couldn't I drive? I sighed as she got in, nearly flooring it in reverse and hitting our trashcans trying to get out of the driveway. "You missed the mailbox," I muttered darkly, glaring out the window.

I wasn't sure if she hadn't heard me or chose to ignore it, but she didn't reply and turned onto the main road. In about five or so minutes, we were passing a large castle-looking building and a construction site.

My mom grinned, pointing towards a billboard. "Hey, wave hi to dad and Lord McAshton."

I looked to see my dad, construction plans in hand standing next to a dark brown horse. Upon the thing sat a man decked in all tan; they both waved a hello as we passed by, but I simply stared at them, in no mood to return the pleasant gesture.

Seeing that and my gaze travel back to the road ahead of us, my mom sighed. This was never a good thing; if she ever sighed in one of those light and airy tones, she would always attempt small talk. I wasn't in the mood for small talk. However, a few moments later, she asked, "Scotland is beautiful, isn't it?"

"If you like having your life ruined or if you like passing out and dreaming about freaking vampires…" I muttered, half glaring at her; after all, it wasn't _her _fault that we had moved here.

"And you know we really don't, right? A dream isn't real." Clearly, she was opting for taking the route that didn't involve my uprooting and trans-Atlantic move.

"I know what a dream is, mom." What was I, four? I turned back to face the road, now full out glaring out the window.

"Okay, I'm just asking. But you know, there are no such thing as vampires, right—"

I squinted through my glasses— my eyes had been hurting and I didn't feel like dealing with my contacts— something red was slowly taking shape. Shit! Was that a tractor? "Mom, you're on the wrong side of the road!"

Confusion flashed across her face before she turned back to the road, her eyes wide. "Woah!" She turned hard, narrowly avoiding the tractor and the man driving it. He was now shouting profanities in Gaelic, shaking his fist at us. "What did he say?"

I knew what he said… or at least bits and pieces of it, but that was only because I had already been called a good portion of them, and I wasn't about to tell my mother what the tractor man had said. "I don't know… everybody talks weird here."

She shrugged it off, glancing over towards me. "And don't worry honey, things are going to get better, you're gonna meet some new friends here soon."

I shot her a skeptical look.

Ha. If only she knew.

* * *

His fist hit my stomach hard. I had only time to groan before hands shoved me roughly to the ground. "This is fer bein' a li'le creep!" Above me, loomed my attacker, glaring down at me with his malice-filled green eyes. His fair red hair was spiked today, and he ran his hand through it coolly before he stepped over me, letting his foot kick the side of my head on the way. Nigel McAshton then took the liberty to dump everything in my backpack out all over the school lawn while his brother, Flint, kicked it. "An' this is fer comin' here in th' firs' place."

I felt like dying. It wasn't like it was my idea to move to this god-forsaken place; it wasn't like I enjoyed leaving my perfect life to come live in a place where everybody hated me. Pressing my hand to face, I sat up, hearing the warning bell ring. No one would really care if I didn't bother showing up, I reasoned. But some how, I knew my dad would be madder than hell if I skipped school and he found out about it.

Half-heartedly, I picked up my belongings and trudged into the school building.

By the time I was entering my science room, the bell rang again, signaling my tardiness.

My teacher, who was already busy writing today's lesson on the board, glanced up at my arrival, before returning his steadfast gaze to the board. "Ah, I see yer late again, Mr. Thompson."

No thanks to my bi-weekly beatings, I wanted to say. But instead, I muttered a small apology and made my way to my seat, which was oh-so conveniently located in front of the god damned McAshton brothers. I was seriously starting to ponder my life; was this some epic karma payback for something I did when I was younger?

"Right," Mr. O'Brien began, setting the piece of chalk down and brushing his hands together. "Normally, we'd be discussing Chapter Two today, but in light of events to come, we'll be talking about something else." He tapped the back of his hand against the board; on it was a picture of the moon and a comet close to eclipsing it. "Next Saturday nigh' we'll be able t' see Comet Forse in conjunction with th' moon fer the firs' time in three hundre' years. And then—"

You know those moments where you say something softly, but the classroom conveniently gets quiet so whatever you say is really loud? Yeah. It happens to me _all the time_. "And then a beam of light comes from the moon…" I mumbled absent-mindedly, drawing circles across the page of notes I had turned to.

The teacher, as did everyone else, looked at me. "Wha' was tha', Mr. Thompson?"

Immediately blushing for the sudden attention that I had accidentally commanded, I looked up, muttering a soft, "Nothing."

"Oh, come now. Yeh must've had somethin' t' say."

I shook my head. "No, really, it was nothi—"

However, the kid sitting next to me, raised his hand and blurted out "I heard wha' he said! He said 'And then a beam of light comes from the moon'!"

Turning to glare at the guy, I heard Mr. O'Brien say, "As usual, our American friend is full of stories. Wha' makes yeh say tha'?"

"I didn't mean it seriously…" Turning back to the front of the class, I looked up innocently at the teacher, hoping to God he would just let this go. "I just had a dream about it that's all."

Behind me, I heard, "Stupid Yank."

"Ah, and wha' else was in this dream of yours, Tony?"

"N-Nothing…"

Again, the guy next to me, shot his hand into the hair, grabbing the sheet of paper I had opened up to. Up in the air for everyone to see was my notes— or rather my short statements about what I should have been taking notes on and my detailed doodles of the vampire nightmare that had haunted me for the past month. "I think it's about vampires and amulets and vampire hunters!"

The class broke into laughter, everyone except for Mr. O'Brien. This hadn't been my first sheet of notes with doodled pictures of vampires on it. "Not again, Tony…"

I could feel myself getting redder and that was when I turned, snatching my notes back before roughly shoving the kid next to me.

"All righ', tha's it. Yeh've earned yerself a chair in th' hall." The teacher glared at me as I got to my feet— as if this entire class outburst was _my _fault; _I _was the one who wanted to drop it.

As I grabbed my stuff, another comment from the McAshton Peanut Gallery came my way. "Fly away ba' t' California, _creep_."

I turned, at this point, just so annoyed with the entire situation, and kicked the desk they were sitting at over, onto them. "I would if I could, _asshole_."

Except, now, Mr. O'Brien was yelling at me to go to the Headmaster's office. Oh yes, I could tell… this was going to be one hell of a day.

* * *

When I at last made it to the safety of my house, I stormed upstairs and locked myself in my room. I was going to do nothing but homework until I had managed to vent most of my frustration. It was when I was taking notes out of my English book I felt it was safe enough to unlock the door. Good thing too, because about ten minutes later, someone opened the door, and I heard the sound of a golf ball rolling across the floor.

It hit my foot and I looked up to see my dad standing in my doorway. "Look what I have."

"My golf club!" A smile was instantly on my face; oh, I had missed golf so much! I hadn't had the chance to play the entire summer.

Then, my dad smiled, grabbing something in the hallway that I couldn't see. "Yeah, your entire set of golf clubs." And then he pulled out the most beautiful thing I had seen in weeks. My semi-worn bag of golf clubs I had used to win countless high school tournaments and all of the trophies sitting on my shelves.

"I thought they were still packed! When did you get them out?"

He set the bag down against my desk, handed me the nine iron and stepped back, looking at the bag rather than me. "About half an hour ago. You looked pretty down today and I thought they'd cheer you up."

"Thanks," I started, but my face immediately fell. "But there's no one to play with…"

My dad let out a short laugh. "You know better than any one, Tony— that's the beauty of golf! You don't need any one to play with."

I frowned. "But I _want _some one to play with."

"Then let's try to play some time this week."

"You never have time," I shot back, now watching him frown. It was then that the beauty of having my golf clubs back faded and I noticed my dad wearing his dress clothes, and some sort of hideous plaid cummerbund.

"Ah, look, Tony, I'm trying here…"

Neither of us had time to say anything more before my mom came bustling in, carrying dad's dress jacket in hand. "There you are. The babysitter's downstairs."

"Oh, good."

My jaw dropped, as did my club. "What? What do you mean babysitter? Mom! Are you freaking kidding me? I'm seventeen! The last time you hired a babysitter, I was eight!"

She helped him slip into the jacket before straightening his tie. Looking at me while fixing her earring, she shrugged. "Sorry, Tony, I know you're responsible and everything… but it's your first time being alone here, and I wanted some one here just in case you needed anything."

Bending over to pick up the dropped club, I sighed, looking at my parents blankly. "When are you going to be back?" I asked, shoving the club into the bag.

"Not too late."

"It's business," my dad chimed in, suddenly looking much more cheerful. He always started looking this way whenever his work was brought up; you would think he was talking about his sex life rather than his job by the way he looked. "Lord McAshton invited us, all the investors are going to be there…"

My mom was peering over my shoulder now. "What are you working on? English? Hey, look at those…" She said, scanning her fingers over the edges of my notes. "These are great; I didn't know you could draw so well."

All right. So, I was kind of busted. Instead of taking English notes like I was supposed to be doing, I was sketching vampires and everything I could remember about this nightmare. The amulet was still only partially done, but that, and the Stoic Man, were what I was most proud of. They had been what I had been working on for the past hour and a half.

Staring down at my pages of doodles, my father picked one up, scrutinizing it before looking imploringly at my mom before setting it back on my desk. "Right. Great. You know," he continued, heading out of the room. "If you want to do something really cool, draw me a picture of Tiger Woods."

I sighed, staring at my mom. Every ounce of that stare, I wanted to be saying, "He just needs more sleep? Yeah, okay."

But I felt the bitterness leave as she hugged my shoulders and kissed my cheek. "Good night, hun. Try to get to bed by eleven, and try not to do any fainting. It'll scare the babysitter." She gave me a playful nudge before ruffling my hair. "Be a good boy."

I nodded my consent hearing her heels 'click-clack' out of the room. Turning my attention back to the half-done amulet, I grabbed my pencil, trying to focus on the gem itself.

By the time I was actually done, I glanced at the clock— it had already been an hour, it was only eight forty five. Well, so much for my English notes; oh well, they weren't due until next week anyways. I wasn't sure what to do with the rest of my free time, until an idea hit me. If I kept having these stupid fainting spells revolving around vampires, why not watch Dracula?

I headed to the corner of my room where my yet to be unpacked pile of boxes sat; I rooted around in them until I had managed to find the one with all of the movies in them. Switching the T.V. on and shoving the movie into the VCR, I turned back to my bed, grabbing a blanket so I could more comfortably curl up on the soft, small, blue love seat that was adjacent to my bed.

The movie had managed to captivate my attention so much so, that I didn't notice when the babysitter came in. There was a scream in the movie, which made her scream and made me jump.

"Ah! Tony! Wha' a frigh' yeh gave me!" She screeched, putting a hand to her chest. "I didn' see yeh sittin' there, babe." The lady, who was probably in her late forties, walked over to my bed and turned over the sheets, now overpowering the sound of Dracula with only her voice. "Oh, you've stopped my hear', that's wha' yeh did and i's near enough stopped as i' is, and that's the truth of i' and yeh wouldn' wan' t' do tha' t' Ms. Laudman, now would yeh, eh? Now listen, yer parents will be ba' in a li'le bi', bu' in th' meantime brush yer teeth an' away t' bed."

As soon as she had come, she had gone, and it left me sitting there, staring where she had been standing. What had just happened? I shook my head, ignoring the thought and turned my attention back to the movie.

I let out a laugh when the movie was over; it was only closely similar to my fainting dream… I wondered what the townspeople would have done with themselves if there were as many as there were in the dream. Getting out of the chair with the blanket wrapped around me I headed towards my desk so I could turn off the lamp. But before I did, the moon caught my eye. As stupid as I felt, I spread the blanket by holding my arms out, like a cape. From there, I held my head high, pretending to be Mr. Stoic. "_Ovovo intoto_—" I couldn't do it any more. I felt way too ridiculous. How could he keep such a serious face when he was reciting that line? I plopped myself down on my bed, my blanket once more encasing me.

A screech of a bat made me look up and around; that wasn't good. I got up to go close the window I had opened while doing homework, but as I headed towards it, a noise behind me caught my attention and I turned, just in time to see a bat fly into my fireplace and a white light temporarily illuminate it.

By now, my only semi-comprehendible thought was, 'SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT— THERE'S A FUCKING VAMPIRE IN MY FIRE PLACE."

But then I heard the sound of heavy breathing. Was whatever in my fireplace all right? I didn't want to know… but I did. Slowly, I crept towards it, and, after my stomach lurched, I realized what I was staring at was, indeed, a full-grown vampire.

He stared out at me with dark ruby eyes, his voice quavering with every breath. "What… what cl-clan… are you from… brother? The light's gone…"

My jaw dropped. I had seen him in my dream. He had been standing close to the Stoic Man… and here he was in the same clothes I had seem him wearing in the dream; velvet maroon colored pants, a shade or so lighter colored silk-looking shirt, and the strangest Victorian-aged jacket I had ever seen. His dark hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes stood out against the stark-whiteness of his face.

"Ahh… ah… who are you?"

God. Out of all the things I should have been saying like 'Please don't eat me', or 'Why the hell are you in my house', or even 'Oh my god, you're a vampire' …I said 'Who are you'? Oh, yes. Brilliant. So he would let me know… and then eat me. Dandy.

He took a long, hard look at me before his eyes narrowed and a hiss escaped his mouth. "You are not a brother," he realized, his gaze now smoldering.

"Well, I'm not a sister." At this point, I mentally smashed my face against a wall. Leave it to my uncontrollable mouth to convey the sarcastic obviousness.

"You're a human… you're full of blood."

I gasped. "We're gonna keep it that way, dude!" I said as I tried to run towards my door.

However, without even the chance to blink, he had beat me to it. He stood in front of it, looking menacing as he loomed down at me; I wished so badly I was taller than five seven… he must have been a good half foot taller than me.

As a last, desperate attempt at living, I turned the other way, rushing to put my desk between him and I. Yet, as I looked back at my assailant, I watched as he seemingly crumbled to the floor, sprawled out, whispering "I'm too weak," into the silence.

Gathering up every scrap of courage I could muster, I slowly walked towards the vampire, taking long, deep breaths, repeating 'Not afraid, not afraid, not afraid' in my mind. Staring down at the vampire, some one who had to be only a few years older than me— well, physical appearance-wise— I felt a pang of sympathy; he had obviously flown into my room by mistake, being weak, and full well thinking I was another vampire. He didn't come here with the intentions to kill me, I reasoned, he had needed somewhere safe. "Do you need help?" I asked tentatively, kneeling down beside him.

He turned his head slowly, his hiss allowing me another closer look at his white, dangerously long teeth. But as his dark eyes appraised me, his menacing look softened. "What twisted kind of mortal are you?"

I couldn't help but smile a little as I rubbed the back of my neck. Well, that answer could probably be saved for another time. "I know you," I informed him, figuring that this would probably sound more ridiculous than anything else, but relatively distracting. "I saw you in my dream."

"Must've been a nightmare."

I nodded, pointing to the newly acquired gash on my forehead. "It was."

Then, a ghost of a smile flickered across his face, before it was overcome by weakness and exhaustion. "I must leave," he murmured, looking away from me.

"But you can't even walk—"

"Who needs to walk…" He started to sit up, attempting to stand. I grabbed his arm, trying to help, but he shoved me away, finishing, "When I can fly!" Suddenly, the vampire took off towards my open window, preparing to launch himself off of the balcony.

I felt my stomach drop. "What the hell are you doing? We're on the second floor!"

But my warning came too late, as he struggled to maintain flight, I watched in horror as the shape of the older boy began falling from the sky.

Following his path, and not so gracefully climbing out the window, I reached the edge of the balcony and felt my breath escape me. On the grass below lay, what I assumed to be, a dying vampire— I had to do something to help. Turning back inside, I all but flew down the stairs, only to remember I had a babysitter waiting in the living room.

"Tony?" She called out in her high voice. "Is everythin' all righ'?"

"Ummm… yeah…" I lied, now changing my course of direction. Instead of heading out the front door, I'd have to take the door through the kitchen. "I'm just getting a drink of water."

I heard her hummed approval, but at the moment, it didn't seem quite so important. As soon as I managed to quietly shut the door behind me, I turned and ran as fast as I could towards the fallen vampire; the rocks and gravel crunched under my bare feet, each step surprisingly painful. But when I fell to my knees next to his side, asking, "Are you okay?" the ghost of a smile he gave again was mildly calming.

"Well, don't I look it…?" He asked sarcastically.

However, whirring and beeping filled the air and suddenly a beam of light was flashed through the gates of our driveway. Immediately the dark haired boy shied away from it, hoarsely crying "Rookery!" before crawling back towards the bushes. I protectively put my hand on his back, trying my best to block the light with my body.

When we were sure the truck-thing was gone, he sat up, leaning heavily against me. "Do… do you know… where I can get a cow…?" He panted, a hand grasping at my shirt.

I felt myself shiver— his body was terrifyingly freezing. "A cow?" I repeated, looking skeptical. "If you want a glass of milk—"

He shook his head, his grip on my shirt tightening. "No, not milk… a cow…" His breathing became heavier. "H-… Hurry…"

"Let me go get my shoes…" As I snuck back inside, I remembered there was a farm about a mile or so from where our house was… but how was going to get this much larger person over there? When I had come back outside, I stood looking a him before I bit my lip for a split second before grabbing his wrist. "I'll… I'll have to carry you. Is that okay?"

It was a moment before he nodded, his head now drooping against my chest.

Steadying my resolve, I carefully maneuvered around him, so he was now on my back. Standing up, however, wasn't quite as easy. I staggered under his almost-unconscious weight and found that keeping his legs wrapped between my arms and his arms over my shoulders was nearly impossible. Several times on that excruciating mile-long walk, the soft flutter of a breath I felt against my neck stopped; was that supposed to happen? Could vampires live without breathing? Unsure, squeezed the underside of his thigh, trying to shake him a little. "Hey, are you okay?"

Each time I asked, he managed to moan his affirmation, the shallow trace of his breath returning, much to my relief.

At last, after a good thirty minutes or so, we had reached the barn, and for the first time in that half an hour the vampire at last showed some sign of life. He slid off my back, staggering inside. After he almost fell, I came behind him, wrapping my arms around his torso.

While staring into the eyes of the cow, he held up his hand, making very small, tight circles. "Your eyes are getting heavy… you are falling into a deep sleep." And, much like he said, the cow's eyes closed and its breathing evened out. Upon seeing this, he staggered away from me, clutching the cow for support; but after a hungry hiss, the entire barn was filled with the squelching sound of blood being drawn.

I thought I was going to hurl. My stomach gave an involuntary lurch and I had to make my way outside to get some fresh air. I stretched as I looked around; my back, legs and arms we still killing me from carrying the vampire, but the night was so peaceful and serene, it almost made the pain worth it. But as I walked further away from the barn, a red glow caught my eye; curious to see what it was, I trekked out onto the street, now catching a faint ping-ing noise. I squinted into the darkness, and at last, I could see that there was a truck-like monstrosity sitting before me. Had it been the same one that had passed by my house earlier? "What the hell…?"

Suddenly a spotlight shone into my face, blinding me for a good minute; I tried to block the light with my hand, but it seemed useless. Everything around me became steadily brighter and then, the roar of the truck's engine tore through the silent night; shit. It was coming towards me. Unable to see where I was going, I only managed to step backwards a few times, screaming when the truck floored it; I was going to die.

"Shut your eyes, mortal!"

Arms were suddenly around me and I quickly did as I was told; the shouts of a swearing man and the truck's mechanical belching became softer as the moments lagged on. Where was I? What was going on? Had I died? Had the truck run me over? Well, damn…

Some one squeezed my arm, warm breaths caressing my cool face. "You can open your eyes now…"

Unsure, I opened an eye, relieved to find I wasn't in heaven— or hell, for that matter— but closer to the sky, away from the lights. "Wow…" I breathed, turning to look at my savior. I was surprised to see how close his face was to mine, but he was smiling again, his dangerously long canines glinting in the moonlight.

"Enjoying the view…?"

I felt heat flood into my cheeks as I nodded, momentarily looking away; I couldn't help but notice how close he had positioned himself next to me. An arm was angled behind him, but directly behind me, legs folded Indian-style, and a slight lean on the extended arm. "Yeah and thanks, dude. You saved my life…" I whispered.

He tilted his head, a kohl colored eyebrow arching upwards towards his hairline. "You keep calling me 'dude'. My name's Rudolf."

Laughing a little I smiled; of course he wouldn't know what 'dude' was…he was from the Victorian age… "Dude is slang," I started. "Now it's like what you call a friend."

"A friend?"

"Well, we saved each other's lives, didn't we?"

Rudolf hesitated, his ruby eyes once more scanning my face. "Yes…" He finally said, smiling. "We did. Friends."

I smiled back. "My name is Tony."

Suddenly, he leaned in, his face only centimeters from my own. "Then tell me this, Tony," He began, staring into my eyes. He moved his arms, somehow resituating himself so he was sitting directly in front of me, pulling off my glasses. "Why do you wear these? They make the blue in your eyes dull."

All right. There was no denying it now, I was full-out blushing, staring back into the crimson eyes, a sliver of my mind wondering why I was acting the way I was. "Um… because I'm not wearing my contacts…"

"Contacts?" Rudolf repeated, looking curious.

I slowly nodded. "They're like what those would be… but smaller… and I put them directly into my eyes… um…" I scooted away from the vampire, trying to slow my heartbeat. "W-Why do you care about my eyes…?"

Looking a little embarrassed, he leaned away, looking down at his lap as he twisted my glasses around in his hands. "I apologize… I… it's just been a while since I've seen another eye color other than red… it was so captivating." Offering an apologetic smile, he looked up, holding out my glasses.

"Oh." It seemed logical enough. How long had it actually been since Rudolph had last been around humans? I took my glasses, sliding them back on. As I did so, I glanced at my watch. Crap, my parents would be home in less than a half hour. "Um… how are we going to get down?" I asked, looking back to him.

"We'll fly." He said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I shot him a skeptical look. "Don't you have to turn into a bat to do that?"

Rudolf rolled his eyes, a smirk tugging at the sides of his mouth. "I got you up here, didn't I? I don't recall being a bat then…"

"I wouldn't actually know, you told me to shut my eyes, remember?"

"Then trust me again," the makings of the smile expanded into a full blown grin. "Friend."

Something about the way he said the word 'friend' made me shiver, but it was a pleasant shiver. I continued to eye my pale friend, I noticed how creamy his skin looked in the moonlight. It didn't look weird or clammy, it was just like my skin… only paler. There was a freckle just above his left eyebrow and one on his right cheekbone. And when he smiled, oddly flattering, boyish dimples showed up, giving his face a sincerely friendly look. Another thing that I could have possibly hugged him for was his voice; his melodious, deep tenor voice wasn't tainted by the Scottish accent I had come to despise. It sounded English if anything, muddled only by the occasional Victorian way of speech.

He stood up with a gentle sigh, saying "All right, let's fly." He held out his hand, nodding for me to take it. "As long as I'm holding on to you, you're fine. Trust me."

Hesitantly, I reached up, entirely trusting myself in this single connection of our hands. The moment I did so, I felt myself being lifted off the ground, my entire being surrounded by absolutely nothing. "I'm flying…" I gasped, only to turn to look at Rudolph, who had laughed.

"It's unlike anything." He stated, a fondness shining in his eyes.

I had to agree with him; the experience of nothingness and weightlessness— it was absolutely incredible.

"Wow, it must be great to be a vampire… if you don't have to be a bat all the time."

Rudolph shrugged. "Membership does have it's privileges."

We soared over an expansive estate, its windows alight and the faint sound of music wafting up towards us. With my free hand I pointed to it. "Look, my mom and dad went to a party there…"

"Really? What are your parents like?"

Now, it was my turn to shrug. "They're okay, I guess. When we used to live back in California, they used to be—"

"California? Where's that? I've never heard of it…"

My eyebrows shot upwards as my jaw fell a little. Oh right, I reminded myself, he probably wouldn't know what any of the other states would be either. "It's in America… across the Atlantic Ocean."

His eyes lit up. "Really?" He asked again, looking at me. "You lived all the way in America? How did you end up here, then?"

"Well, my dad is a golf course designer… and Lord McAshton hired him, so we had to move here…" I said blandly, not exactly thrilled. "That house was his. And the blimp we were just on, that was my dad's…" I felt my hand being squeezed— not roughly, but rather a comforting gesture.

"You wish you were still in…" He hesitated a moment, "California, don't you?"

I nodded.

Silence fell over us for a few minutes as we soared over the small village houses. I relished the thought of being so high above my problems, thankful to the vampire on my left; he was so different now than he had been while he had still been at my house, weak and threatening to eat me. I looked back at Rudolph, "You know, vampires are different than I thought they'd be."

"My father's seen to that; we're family… not fiends. That's why we only try to drink cow's blood."

That, however, struck me as odd. I had never heard of vampires drinking cows' blood, but then again, I had witnessed it only minutes ago. "But I thought vampires drank human blood."

One of his pearl white canines raked over his lower lip, as if he was mulling over his answer. "We do." The vampire said slowly, once again shrugging. "I know it sounds strange, but we got to make do with cows."

"Why?"

"Because we've been hunted for centuries; we always have to hide. We want to become humans… not kill them."

How noble of them, I thought, feeling myself smile. But the smile vanished the moment I looked back towards the ground, we were almost back to my house, but there was a pair of car headlights shining through the dark… turning onto my driveway. "Shit! My parents; if I'm not there when they get in, my dad'll kill me!"

"Don't worry. I wouldn't let that happen…"

Again I felt his fingers tighten around my hand, as we suddenly shot forward, zipping towards my house and somehow, miraculously flying through the still open window. The moment he let go of my hand, I stumbled forward, tossing my glasses on the couch before diving into my bed, yanking the blankets up to my chin.

The voices of my parents and the babysitter grew louder and louder as three pairs of feet stormed up the stairs. However, the moment they threw my door open, they all fell silent.

"I saw wha' I saw, and I saw wha' I didn' see and- and I- I didn' see—" The babysitter— sadly, I still hadn't managed to figure out her name— rambled on. Had she realized I had left?

Suddenly all three of them began sniffing. "What's that?" My dad asked, sounding almost alarmed.

"I smell two…" My mom answered.

I winced, inwardly praying that they wouldn't find Rudolph… wherever he was hiding.

Much to my relief, my prayers were answered; I heard my dad's flat, heavy dress shoes head towards the window, and my mom's heels 'click'ed towards my bed. The window shut and suddenly her lips were against my forehead, her hand tenderly brushing away some of the hair on my face. Their shoes then moved away from my bed, back towards the door.

Where was Rudolph? I slowly opened my eyes, and much to my surprise, he had spread himself out in the upper corner of my wall, his index finger traveling to his lips before he smiled so stunningly, I think my heart might have stopped. I quickly shut my eyes; only a few moments later, the door shut.

I waited about ten seconds before flinging back the covers and hopping out of bed. I had started yanking off my shoes when Rudolph jumped off the ceiling rafter.

"So, those are your parents? They look nice."

"And tasty?" I asked, grinning.

Rudolph scoffed, shaking his head. "No, nice. As in very nice…"

Shrugging, I balled my socks up and tossed them into a corner. "Like I said, they have their moments."

He looked towards the window, sighing. "I suppose I must take my leave."

With that he turned and I frowned; I didn't know why I felt suddenly so depressed, but a large part of me wished he would stay. I watched on, my eyes never leaving his proud form, and my heart lurched as he turned back towards me.

A smile once more graced his lips as he eyed me. "But I haven't had this much fun with a boy my own age since I really was nineteen… thanks… dude." He waved, about to leave, but he hesitated again, a frown replacing the smile. At first, I wondered why, but then I heard the whirring of the strange truck that tried to kill me earlier.

"You can stay if you want," I heard myself blurt out.

The smile was back; my heart leapt with joy. "Maybe I should…"

I glanced around the room; where _could _he stay? I didn't exactly have a spare coffin laying around. "Do vampires really sleep in coffins? Because that's going to be a problem…"

"Just as long as the sun can't find me." The crimson eyes scanned my room, coming to rest on an old battered, long, red trunk I had settled between the television and the sofa, so far I had been using it as a footrest. "This would be excellent." He walked over to it, unlatching the lid.

I sighed, seeing all of the tokens of my childhood inside. "We'll have to take out all of this junk…" Grabbing an empty box, I began grabbing handfuls of action figures, pokemon cards, and some old trophies, and tossed them inside.

Rudolph looked particularly flabbergasted. "Junk?" He asked, picking up my old, yellow Game Boy. "It's a treasure chest."

Laughing a little, I bent down grabbing more of my memorabilia. "Did you really just call it a treasure chest?"

Looking a little guarded, he nodded. "Yes, I did. Treasure… it's all the things I've never actually had… I used to hide in trees and watch mortals play this game." He said, pushing some of the buttons of the Game Boy. "What is it?"

"It's Nintendo, duh."

"Nintendo-duh…" He flipped on the on switch and the familiar Nintendo jingle came on. His face suddenly developed a very boyish smile as he looked up me, wide-eyed. "Can I play with this Nintendo-duh?"

I laughed. "No, it's called a Nintendo. Duh's just a word people say when some one asks a dumb question."

"Duh…?"

"More like _duh_!"

"Duuuhh…"

"_Duh_." I tried again, gathering out the last of the junk.

He leaned against the trunk, setting the Game Boy down, now looking like he was honestly trying. "D_uuu_h!"

A snort of laughter somehow escaped me; I hadn't meant to laugh, but the look on his face was so intense, and he was so intent on learning how to properly 'duh'… it had just slipped out. "Anyways, I'll teach you how to play Nintendo tomorrow."

"I know… you must sleep now. It's late for mortals."

Grabbing a pillow off of my bed, I stuffed it down in the trunk, watching as he gracefully stepped inside it, his long body miraculously fitting inside. He stared up at me with thankful red eyes. "I never got the chance to tell you how grateful I am to for you saving my life…"

I blushed a little, grabbing the lid. "You don't have to be; you saved my life, so we're even…" I mumbled.

A chuckle came from the back of his throat as he nodded. "Until the night…"

I lowered the lid, mumbling back my "Good night" before tapping the trunk twice. Climbing over towards my own bed, I pulled off my shirt and took off my pants leaving me in just my white undershirt and boxers. About to lay down, I stole a glance at the trunk, suddenly opting for sleeping on the couch; I grabbed my bedding and pillow and made myself a blanket nest on the cushions. After another handful of glances towards the trunk, I finally asked, "So you're like a thousand years old or something, right?"

A muffled chuckle came from inside. "I've just been nineteen for over three hundred years."

"How old really?"

There was a pause. "I'll be three hundred sixty nine pretty soon."

My eyes widened as I snuggled up to one of my cushier pillows. "Wow… I guess that means you've had plenty of girlfriends, then."

An awkward pause filled the air before I heard Rudolph cough uncomfortably. "I-… I guess one might say that. But what about you, Tony? Did you have a girl… friend," I could hear the questioning tone of the new phrase, "Back in America?"

I nodded, thinking back on her. "Her name is Emily, who I had met my sophomore year in high school; she's a short little blonde, just like me, but was one of the fiercest tennis players I have ever seen. While I can't say we've ever told each other 'I love you,' we had shared a deep friendship and we're—" Or had been, I scowled, "Very close. When I told her I was leaving for Scotland, she became very quiet and didn't say much to me afterwards… I haven't heard from her since."

"Oh… um… I'm sorry." Rudolph muttered.

Shrugging, I sighed. "Whatever, it's just life, right?"

"Right."


	3. Nose Bleed

**Thursday**

If there had been any more conversation last night, I hadn't been awake enough to process it. I woke to my mom once more yanking the curtains from my window back, declaring her oh-so cheery "Good morning!"

Groggily, I shoved myself up, already feeling stiff from sleeping curled up on my side. I stared at her almost in amazement; how could she be so cheerful so early in the morning?

Suddenly her eyebrows shot upwards, as she looked from my bed to me, putting her hands on her hips. "Now why are you sleeping this way?" She frowned some, adding "You didn't faint again, did you?"

I blinked, trying to adjust to the brightness. "Mom, I wouldn't actually know, remember?"

Laughing, she nodded. "Right, of course not. But I don't see any new bumps, so maybe you were sleep walking?"

"I don't sleep walk."

She shrugged. "You never know." She then walked around the bed, coming over to me. She kissed my forehead before pulling off the nest of blankets around me and tossing them back on my bed. "Now come on, get up, rise and shine. Time to go to school," she said, heading out of my room.

I could have almost groaned at the thought. But as I sat up, stretching, it was then that I saw my old trunk, and curiosity got the better of me. Had I dreamt everything? Was this the result of falling asleep during Dracula? Or was there really a vampire inside my trunk? Cautiously, I stepped around it, slowly undoing the latch. However, as soon as I opened it just a crack, I was greeted with an angry hiss and I immediately slammed the lid down again, feeling a grin tugging at my lips. Tapping the lid in apology, I muttered a "Sorry, dude."

"Tony," my mom called from downstairs. "Are you hungry?"

Grinning, I turned towards the door, getting to my feet. "I could eat a cow!"

Before I could do anything else, I heard a snort of laughter come from inside the trunk. "Oh, that's real cleaver, Tony…"

On my way out of my room, I grabbed my towel and trekked off towards the bathroom. All throughout my shower, I couldn't help but smile; I finally had a friend in Scotland, and, to top it all off, he was a vampire. I toweled my upper-body dry with a second smaller towel as I headed back to my room about ten minutes later.

I heard the sound of sniffing, and then "Tony?"

"What, Rudolph?"

"Where are you going to go?"

"Um… well," I mumbled, walking into my closet and grabbing a fresh pair of clothes. I yanked up my red boxers before slipping on my pants and walking back out. "I'm going to school… I should be home later though. I'll shut the blinds so if you don't have to stay in there all day." I did as I said, pulling on my gray and blue vintage shirt before grabbing my school stuff. "I'll see you later. Don't get yourself caught."

An indignant scoff came from the trunk. "You forget, mortal, I've been doing this for over three hundred years… I think I'll be all right."

I smiled as I walked out of my room, shutting the door behind me. It seemed as if the day was insistent on getting better, and I was glad for that; when I descended the stairs, for once, I wasn't greeted with the familiar smell of burnt food, but rather pancakes and bacon.

"It looks good," I said as I sat down, forking three large, fluffy pancakes before drowning them in syrup.

My mom smiled, wiping her hands on a paper towel. "Thanks, Tony. You seem to be in an awfully good mood for some one who slept on a couch."

I shrugged. "Good dream?"

* * *

My good mood lasted the entire car ride to school, and I even waved a hello to my dad as we passed McAshton Manor. Speaking of McAshton, I had decided that they were not going to bring me down today, so when I saw them once more blocking my way into the school with a

"Good mornin', vampy."

"Yeh mean wimpy, don' yeh?"

I merely rolled my eyes, glared up at them and said "Out of my way, losers," before roughly brushing through them.

Considering, however, from laying flat on my bed, roughly an hour later, with multiple tissues held against my bloody nose, that may not have been the best course of action.

"Fighting with the McAshton boys, of all people!" My mother chided, for probably the hundredth time, as she came back into my room with a new box of tissues.

Since this was not the first time she had said that, I had long given up on trying to explain what really had happened. When I did tell her, she just shook her head saying that I could have chose to ignore them, be the bigger person, yadda, yadda, blah… "They started it…"

She sighed, shaking her head as I turned look at her. "Keep still." As she sat down on the side of my bed, she sighed again. "It's still bleeding. Let me get another tissue." Ripping open the top of the box, she handed me another handful while taking the bloodied ones and throwing them away. As I readjusted the new tissues, she calmly placed her hand on my shoulder, clearing her throat for the best motherly voice possible. "You know, last night, your teacher told me you've been talking an awful lot about monsters…"

I cringed. God! Stupid, stupid, _stupid _Mr. O'Brien!

"No wonder they keep teasing you."

At a loss for a semi-intelligent sounding response, I opted for the argumentative approach. "Not monsters, vampires."

My mom rolled her eyes. "It's all the same, Tony, and you know that."

"No, it's not and maybe I don't."

"I know it's going to be rough making friends like that."

I folded my arms over my chest, still stubbornly holding the tissues to my nose. "I have a friend…"

It was quite possibly the most hideous face I had seen her make. If smiles could have produced rainbow glitter and sparkle hearts, this one could have done it. She gasped in glee. "You do? What's his name?"

"God, mom! I'm not that incapable of making friends! You don't have to make it sound like a stupid freaking miracle…his name is Rudolf."

Her smile toned down several notches. "Oh, I'm sorry, but I'm just so glad for you. Where does he live?"

Shrugging, "Not far."

"Well, what's he like?"

Ah, well, funny you should ask, but he's a three hundred year old vampire that even you'd manage to fall for. Oh, yes, that would play in super well with the whole vampire ramblings. "He's, uh… he's very, very cool."

"Well, I think you should invite him for a sleep over."

"I already did." I said, trying to hide my smile.

It looked as if she was about to say something else, but she stopped, sniffing the air. Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked around. "There it is again…"

Crap. She had done this last night too. "What?"

"That smell…"

I attempted to sniff as well, but only managed to inhale tissue. "I don't smell anything…" Oh, shit! I didn't… but Rudolf must have… oh, God, he was a vampire and here I was with a bloody nose! As my mom was still looking around, I stole a glance towards my trunk, and sure enough, blood red eyes were peering out at me. Sending him an imploring, yet apologetic look, I faked a cough as the lid shut.

She looked at me. "What was that?"

Coughing again for acting's sake, I shrugged again. "Uhhh… I don't know." I sat up, "But can I go downstairs and watch T.V.? I have a feeling when dad finds out, I'll be stuck in here for much longer and I want to enjoy my last bit of freedom."

Letting out a laugh, she ruffled my hair and nodded. "Sure, but make sure you get a towel. If there's any blood on that couch when you're done, you'll be in here for much longer."

"Sure." I held the tissues away from my nose, and, luckily, it seemed as if it had stopped. Yet, as I came down the stairs, I was met by my dad coming through the door, looking pleasantly surprised.

"Tony? You're home early…well, as you can see, I'm home early too. I thought maybe we could go hit the green before dinner. Are you ready?"

* * *

On the last hole, I grimaced as the ball suddenly curved. A summer of not playing was definitely beginning to show. "Craaaap…"

"Ah, come on, Tony, you're just being to hard on yourself. That was much better than what I did."

"Yeah, but you weren't one of the league champions only six months ago…" I sighed, resting the club on my shoulder as I looked up. "What time does it get dark?"

He looked up, "Not for a while…"

I looked back towards the pitch, nudging a rogue tuft of grass with my shoe. "Well, I need to get back before it gets dark."

"Why? What's the big hurry? Are you bored already or do you have homework?"

"No, I know what you've been thinking about me."

After bending over to retrieve his ball, he looked over at me, frowning a little. "Oh, Tony, sorry I've been so rough on you lately…" He waved his free hand around a little, looking away from me. "I've got the job on one hand and the teacher thing-"

Interrupting, I just nodded. "Yeah, I know… mom told me."

"Yeah…"

After a moment of standing poised before the golf ball, I sighed, looking back towards my dad. "Dad… do you think I'm crazy?"

He walked over to me, placing a hand on my shoulder before he gave it a soft squeeze. "Oh, no, Tony…" He hesitated, releasing my shoulder and rubbing the back of his neck. "I just think vampires belong in a movie somewhere and not in your room."

I froze, the words slipping my mouth before I had considered what I was saying. "How'd you know he's in my room?"

For a long moment he stared at me with a more intense version of a _please-tell-me-you're-joking_ face.

"Ha ha… just… kidding… not very funny, sorry…"

Looking relieved that I had done what he had wanted, he shrugged a little, smiling some. "Kind of funny."

I bit down on my lip, looking around before once more making eye contact. "Oh… then I probably ought to tell you something else that's kind of funny… aha ha… the reason why I came home early today…"

At this, it looked like I had manage to spark his interest, which I immediately regretted. "Right, I meant to ask you about that."

"Ah… well… um… I kind of…" I trailed off into a mumble, quickly tapping the ball with my club so it rolled into the hole.

As I went to pull it out, I froze as he asked "Sorry, what was that?"

"Uh… I got in a fight today?"

There was silence as I turned around, watching my dad give me a couple of looks over. "Really? You don't look half bad…"

"Thanks… I think… but… ah… I probably should tell you… it was with the McAshton boys."

"Two against one?"

I nodded.

He walked over to his bag gently replacing the club he had in his hand. "Well…" He started, slinging it over his shoulder. "Let's just say that today didn't happen… but if it does happen again, well, you'll just have to be grounded for eternity."

* * *

I only managed to pick at my dinner when we got home. I apologized before I excused myself and headed upstairs. When I opened my door, I immediately frowned, seeing the vampire lounging complacently on my bed, showing no signs of attempting to hide. "This is what you call good at not getting caught?"

Rudolf snorted before looking over at me. "Oh, please, mortal… I could smell you coming."

"Is this your way of saying I need a shower?"

Looking mildly indignant, he shook his head. "Most definitely not. Each human has their own distinctive smell to their blood. I smelled you the moment you entered the house…" I just noticed he had been holding onto the yellow game boy, but he set it back on the bed, sitting up. "Earlier… when you were bleeding… I don't understand. I thought you were at school… but you came home… your mother said you were fighting with the," the vampire glanced toward the ceiling, searching for the name. "The McAshton brothers? What did they do to you, Tony?"

I frowned. "Nothing."

As I walked into my closet, grabbing a sweatshirt and yanking it over my head, I could hear him saying "Nothing doesn't result in the spilling of blood…"

"I already told you, it's nothing."

Rudolf appeared in front of the closet entry way, leaning against the doorframe. "Why won't you tell me…?" His crimson eyes scanned my face, looking expectant.

For some reason, his questioning bothered me; I scowled over at him, once more repeating "I said it's nothing."

"I don't believe you."

Scoffing, I brushed around him, our shoulders bumping. To be completely honest, I think it might have hurt me more than him, but I ignored the increasing dull pain coming from my shoulder. "You don't have to believe me. I'm still going to tell you that nothing happened." Still irritated with the persistent vampire, I flung myself stomach-down across my bed, yanking the game boy out from underneath me.

There was a soft whooshing and then a groan of the footboard as Rudolf landed on it, gently prodding me in the side with his foot. "Tony… then am I allowed to thank you?"

"…for what?" I finally answered, stubbornly.

"For leaving when you did. The smell was becoming intoxicatingly unbearable… I didn't know how much longer I could have lasted if you had stayed. Thank you for removing temptation…" The bed dipped as he moved off the wooden end of the bed and on to the mattress.

I sat up, eyebrows furrowed. "Would you really have killed me?"

He was silent before he solemnly nodded, looking down at his hands folded in his lap. "I might have… the call of blood is very tempting and there's very little that detracts from it…" He sighed. "If I would have killed you… I don't know what I would have done with myself," His gaze met mine. "Friend."

I felt myself blush, so I looked away, flicking on the on switch to the game boy. After a moment, I held it out to him. "Do you want to learn how to play, or not?"

He grinned, his canines teasing his lower lip. "I would like that very much."

Once I had taught him the basics, Rudolf seemed to not only grasp but thoroughly enjoyed playing it. A few times I had to show him how to do things, like throwing shells at the monsters or how to get off of Yoshi, but other than that, he did well enough on his own.

"Come on, come on! Jump, Rudolf!"

"I'm trying!"

"Oh, watch out for that—"

Our groans mingled with the losing fanfare as we watched Mario tumble down, over a ledge. Suddenly the yellow Game Boy was thrust at me. "You play. You're so much better than I am."

I shook my head, pushing it back. "No, if I do it for you, you'll never learn."

He scowled, "But you helped me before."

"That was different."

"No, it wasn't."

"Was too."

Letting out a huff of irritation, he sat up and looked around. "Fine… but will you teach me how to play that?" He pointed towards my X-Box. "I was looking at earlier. And why is that man on the box wearing such funny looking armor? He doesn't even have a halo at all. Why would they even call it Halo, then?"

I laughed, switching the Game Boy off before heading to the couch and grabbing the controllers. "Just get over here and you'll see."

We had been playing for a while, and strangely enough, Rudolf was actually owning my ass, when suddenly he tensed, suddenly flying out of my sight.

"Rudolf?"

There was a knock on my door before my mom came in, running her hands through her bed-messed hair. "Tony… what are you doing up so late? It's two in the morning… you have school tomorrow... why on earth are you playing that?"

"Umm… what?" I glanced over at my clock on the nightstand, and sure enough the clock read two thirteen. "Oh, wow… sorry, mom. I guess I didn't realize how late it was." I stood up, switching the X-Box off, before I headed to bed, pulling off my shirt and pants before crawling into bed. "Good night."

My mom let out a soft laugh before she murmured, "Good night, Tony," and shut the door.

A moment later, I switched on my lamp and Rudolf was standing there, in a wife beater and a pair of my boxers, smiling down at me, his fisted hands resting on his hips. "Do I look like a normal nineteen year old now?"

I blinked out of shock. Without his usual clothes, the vampire looked much leaner and toned than I ever could have imagined. "Uhh… you…" I swallowed, ignoring the tightening of my stomach. "You look like a nineteen year old getting ready to go to bed…"

The comment seemed to do more than enough to please him. "Well, considering the circumstances, perfect." He turned, opening the lid to the trunk.

"Aren't you cold?"

He scoffed as he stepped inside of it, looking over his shoulder at me. "Tony, I'm always cold. I just can't feel it." Rudolf hesitated. "But thank you…"

I smiled a little. "You're welcome—"

"Good night, loser." He grinned.

I grabbed something off my nightstand and threw it at him. "You would be nothing without me!" I called, listening to him laugh as he shut the trunk.

"I know, thank you again, friend."


	4. I'll Cry for You

**Friday**

When my alarm went off, I groaned, rolled over onto my back, and pulled the blankets over my head.

"There's no time for that, Tony. It's a new day. Time to get up." And with that came the vampire's weight came in full scale as he sat on my stomach.

"Ugh, oh my god, Rudolf, get off—"

He yanked the blankets off my face before grinning at me. "Are you awake yet?"

I wiggled around underneath him, trying to get him off of my stomach, and grumbled something about being awake only long enough to go back to sleep. Unfortunately, he didn't like my answer because before I knew it, he had yanked the covers off of me entirely and lifted me out of bed. "Augh! Rudolf, put me down!"

Laughing, he set me down. "For one seemingly so afraid of heights, you had no trouble flying the other night."

I pulled my towel off the back of my chair, clutching it defensively against my chest. "That's because there's more room for freefall and I know you would have caught me."

"I would have caught you now."

"Yeah, well, whatever… why are you so insistent on me going to school, anyways?"

Rudolf sat back on my bed and smiled. "You must go learn."

I rolled my eyes and glared at him. Between the incessant beeping of my alarm and the absurd situation, I felt angier than I should have. "God, you sound like my mother…" I said, finally slamming my hand down on the clock.

"I do suppose I'll take that as a compliment; she is a rather lovely person—"

I didn't hear the rest of what he was saying because I stormed out of my room, shutting the door, making my way to the bathroom.

"Oh, Tony, you're up."

Nodding, I continued into the bathroom. "You know, I _am _capable of waking up on my own, despite contrary belief."

When I came back into my room, it seemed as if Rudolf had once more retreated into the trunk; my bed was made and things were straightened up. However, my mom came out of my closet, holding onto Rudolf's jacket, shirt, and pants. She held them up, looking completely confused.

"Where did you get these? Did you already have these? I don't remember them."

"Erm, ah, yeah. Don't you remember? I wore them for that play the school did last year… I was looking for one of my shirts and dug them out on accident, I guess."

She looked at me, almost about to say something, but she just shrugged, and disappeared back into the closet. "What are you going to wear?"

"Mom, I can pick out what I wear to school too…"

She laughed. "Oh, right, of course you can…"

When she left, I went into the closet, getting dressed quietly. I couldn't help but think that I would be waiting a whole seven hours before I could come home and see Rudolf again. A whole seven hours of dealing with the McAshton boys and teachers who fully believed I was most likely crazy. I sighed as I finished putting the last of my things in my backpack. As I hesitated by the door, I sighed again. "Good bye, Rudolf," I barely whispered.

Yet, it came back, clear as crystal, "Good bye, Tony."

I smiled.

* * *

Today's accumulative agony had managed to surpass all of my previous worst days, both here and in the States. It seemed that due to the black eye I managed to give Nigel yesterday, today meant triple the torture from the twins. On top of the misery they felt the need to inflict upon me, I was so impatient and anxious to go home. I wanted to see Rudolf. I didn't actually know or care what we would do when I got home, I just wanted my friend.

Finally, it was the last period of the day— thank God! I had spent the entire class period staring at the clock and it was down to two minutes before class ended. All my stuff was already packed away, and I sat there, my hands folded under my chin, my leg bouncing up and down, waiting. 'Come on, come on, come on! Hurry up, hurry up…' One minute, thirty seconds.

'Come onnnn… just stop torturing me already!'

"And remember your homework, class—"

One minute, three seconds.

There was something about memorizing formulas for the section we were on, and something about a test… maybe?

'For the love of God…'

Twenty eight seconds…

People were beginning to shuffle around, putting their belongings in their bags.

Three… Two… One!

The bell rang, and as soon as it had, I bolted from my seat, leaving the room before my teacher had the chance to tell me that it was he that dismissed me, not the bell. But even if he had the chance, I probably wouldn't have stuck around to listen to that, anyways.

As I got outside, my heart leapt as I saw my parents sitting in the car, already there. Yes! I would be home in no time.

Once I had chucked my things inside and pulled the seatbelt on, my dad turned around and eyed me curiously.

It was only then I wondered why both of them were here to pick me up anyways.

"What's the big rush?"

Still a little out of breath, I inhaled, holding it a moment. "I, ah…" I exhaled. "I just couldn't wait to start the weekend and get home."

My dad frowned, looking to my mom, who was now frowning as well. "You didn't tell him?"

"I thought you would have told him yesterday, so I didn't say anything."

After a few more moments of listening to them play the blame game, I sighed again, leaning between them. "How about you both stop worrying about it and tell me what's going on?"

It was mom who turned and faced me as dad started driving. "Ah, well… you see, honey, your dad and the McAshtons have been getting along pretty great and the golf resort is coming along too… and, well, tonight… um, you see, Lord McAshton invited us all over for dinner tonight…"

"What? Why do _I_ have to go? Let me out of the car!"

My dad half-glared at me through the rear-view mirror. "Tony, I understand you don't like the boys very much, but give Lord McAshton a chance; he's a very nice man once you get to know him… besides, you don't even know if Flint and Nigel will be eating with us…"

I groaned as I fell back in the seat. "God, this is so unfair…"

Unfortunately, and go figure, with my luck, Flint and Nigel _were _eating with us. And because it was only four when we got there and dinner wasn't going to be served until six thirty, that meant listening to the adults go on about nothing for a half hour before the Hell Twins decided I had to go upstairs and "bond" with them.

'Lord Almighty, if you've ever loved me, please send the Angel of Mercy to just kill me now.' And when I thought this, I couldn't help but imagine it being Rudolf dressed in black, coming and killing me softly.

The two hours had consisted of me doing their homework, or being beaten with a pillowcase full of oranges— I seriously wondered where they had heard of that one— and of course, listening to them rant about how crazy I was.

And then, I heard possibly the most beautiful words in the entire world: "Boys, dinner is served."

Dinner wasn't extremely out of the ordinary; the cooks served ham with potatoes and some vegetables; I didn't bother to find out what they were, they smelled funny and that was enough for me to not touch them, but at least the ham was good. I was also very grateful that I was sitting as far away from the twins as the table allowed. My parents sat between them and me, and despite that comforting reassurance, that put me at the end of the table, facing Lord McAshton himself.

"Ah, Toby—"

"Tony." My mother forcefully muttered.

My dad cleared his throat. "_Dottie_…"

Lord McAshton glanced at my mother, before turning back to me. "Of course it is…" He took a quick sip of his wine, continuing, "Your father tells me you've got a passion for golf. How about when we have the course finished, you come over and we'll have a little competition, just you and me."

Tentatively, I shrugged. It didn't sound like half bad idea, but if I was here— I stole a look towards the twins who looked just as bored as I was— it meant that they would be here. "Sure," I said instead. "I think I might have to take you up on that."

"Excellent! Now, how about we retire to the study?"

Inwardly, I groaned. I don't think I could take much more of this…

My parents stood, but my mother put her hand on my father's arm. "We would love to, but we think it's time for us to be getting back… I'm afraid our cat will be a bit upset with us if we prolong his dinner longer than we have."

What cat? We didn't have a cat… I looked towards my dad, who seemed to be thinking the same thing.

Lord McAshton laughed a little. "We can't have that, now can we? Allow me escort you to the door…"

"Good-bye, Tony…" Nigel cooed sickeningly sweet.

Flint smirked, "Have a good weekend."

"We'll see you on Monday."

I grimaced, but nodded nonetheless and obediently followed my parents outside, passing them to get to the car first. I saw my mother take the keys from my dad and unlocked it. Thank God for my mother!

A few moments later they both joined me.

"Our _cat_, Dottie?" My dad asked as he started the car.

My mother shrugged. "I'm sorry, Bob, but I just don't think I can take much more of them and their Lord status supremacy… and Tony, we already put him through enough today. He just wants to enjoy his Friday night."

"Oh my God, mom, I love you so much."

She turned and grinned at me, giving my knee a gentle squeeze. "I know."

When we got home, I basically jumped out of the car with my backpack in tow, half crashing into the door, forgetting that had it been locked. Impatiently, I turned, waiting for my parents to come unlock it.

"Gracious, Tony… please don't put a hole through the front door."

"Sorry…" But I wasn't really sorry. If a hole through the door meant seeing Rudolf faster, I probably would have done it.

At last, after some failed attempts at opening our massive wooden doors, I squeezed in past my parents, booking it upstairs. I grabbed the banister, using it as an anchor as I took a sharp turn, which flung me directly into my room. I looked around and frowned. There was no vampire laying causally on my bed, nor sitting on the couch playing Halo… "Rudolf?" I asked, once again looking around. I stopped at the trunk and lifted the lid… he wasn't there.

I sighed, looking towards the window. Would he really have left without saying goodbye? I kicked off my shoes, and fell face forward on the bed, letting out a bigger sigh. The only thing that had gotten me through the day wasn't even here…

* * *

I woke up to someone shaking me by the shoulder. I rolled over, grumbling, "Whaaat?"

"Tony, it's me. Wake up."

The voice had me awake in no time. I flipped over, sleepily grinning up at him. "Rudolf. Where were you? I'm sorry I didn't come home right away, but you didn't have to leave—"

He put a finger to his lips, before giving me a soft smile. "I'll explain later." He turned and walked back towards my desk, lifting up a pile of papers and bringing them back to me.

In the dim light I could make out the amulet sketch.

"I only came back because of this…"

The way he had said it made my chest tighten. My smile fell a bit. "My English notes? Uh, sure… you can have them if you want."

"Where have you seen it?" He asked, giving the papers a little shake.

I shrugged, still feeling a little bitter about coming home to nothing. "Why do you want to know?"

He sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Tony, look. It's very important."

An idea suddenly hit me, and I prayed to God he was in a tolerable mood and remembered that we were friends now, because otherwise, these would probably be my last words. "I'll only tell you if you take me flying with you…"

He dropped his hand and rolled his eyes. He watched me smile at him for a moment before he grabbed my hand, tugging me off the bed and towards the window. I could have sworn I heard him say "Manipulative little human bastard…" before we lifted off the balcony into the sky.

While we once more soared over Scotland's rolling hills, Rudolf looked over to me, his blood red eyes lit up with amusement. "You missed me, I take it?"

I blushed, but scowled. "No. What makes you think that?"

"The first thing you asked me when I woke you was where I had gone off to… and from what I gathered, you thought the reason I had left had been your fault…"

"I didn't say that."

"Tony, you did."

"I did not."

Rudolf laughed, and his grip on my hand changed. However intentional it might have been, or unintentional, depending on how much I was actually reading into this, his index finger slipped between my middle and ring fingers.

I pretended not to notice.

"I'm sorry I had you worried, friend. I was separated from my family when you and I met… I had to try to find them. But, unfortunately, I couldn't… What I'm sincerely hoping for is that they're off looking for me rather than at the mercy of Rookery…"

Rookery? Was that the man driving the truck? While he had been talking, his voice had picked up a somewhat heartbroken tone, and my heart ached for him. "I'm sure they're all right…" I whispered, giving his hand a soft squeeze.

He squeezed back before looking back to me again and grinning. "Do you trust me?"

At his words, my stomach immediately dropped. "Not if you're thinking about what I think you're thinking…"

"But you don't know what I'm thinking. And in other words, yes, you do trust me."

"I never said thaaa—" He had done it anyways! That stupid, fucking vampire! He had been thinking about dropping me, and that's what he had done. As I fell through the air, my breath seemed to leave me. I could only pray he would let me free-fall for so long— the ground was getting closer; if I had any air, I probably would have been screaming. _Shit shit shit shit shit shit_. The ground was getting closer. I shut my eyes and suddenly two arms wrapped around me in a sort of hug. Oh, how I wish he had caught me another way! His arms had grabbed the places where the stupid McAshton twins had hit me earlier.

"Oh, Tony," I could feel his body trembling… with laughter. "You should have seen your face! It was absolutely brilliant!"

I gasped as I clenched his jacket with my shaking hands, hoping to God that he wouldn't let go of me again. "I hate you so much right now… as soon as we're on the ground I'm never talking to you ever again!"

Despite me knowing that I sure as hell would never want my friendship with Rudolf to end, apparently he didn't seem to know the same. We stopped moving entirely, and curiously, I opened my eyes to see why we had started hovering.

His face had been stripped of every ounce of laughter and he now looked worriedly down at me. "Do you mean that? Oh, God, I'm so sorry, Tony, I know I shouldn't have done that… I just thought… a good laugh… but I… don't say you mean that…"

Again, against everything I knew, the warmth returned to my cheeks and I looked away from him. "…of course I don't mean that, you stupid vampire…"

"…I'm so sorry, Tony…"

"Don't be sorry, just put me on the ground already…"

When we landed, I probably could have hugged the ground out of sheer relief, but Rudolf still looked worried, so I nudged him in the shoulder. "So, why are we at a cemetery?"

"I live here."

I snorted. "Very fitting for the undead."

He rolled his eyes and smirked. "We have very nice neighbors."

After a moment of carefully making my way around tombstones, I asked, "So, what did you want to know about my drawing?"

"Oh… where have you seen it?"

With a little sigh, I shoved my hands in my pockets, beginning the retelling of my dream. The moment I started, his eyes seemed to go blank, as if he was seeing the same thing I was… he was, after all, in the dream anyways; had he really been there? Did the dream carry some truth to it? I ended with the amulet falling into the ocean, rather than me, because some part of me wondered if I had said that the amulet had fallen into me, if he would try to tear me open right then and there.

He sighed, "So you didn't see the real thing, then?"

I sadly shook my head. "I dreamt it all… but… I dreamt you too, and here you are…" I sat down on a rock, and he followed suit. "The amulet, the comet… does it mean something?"

Fiddling with his hands, Rudolf mumbled "I can't say. It's a secret."

I looked pointedly at him, my eyebrows raised. "Who am I going to tell?" I sighed a little. "Who's going to believe me?"

At that, he looked up, meeting my eyes. "All right… it is the comet Atamond." He then nodded his head towards the sky, where a large pink-yellow comet loomed some distance away from the moon. "It's the comet of the lost souls. It could mean the end of this curse."

"What curse?"

"The curse of being a vampire. There is the piece of the comet that fell to Earth… a great magician made it into an amulet of power. But we lost it three hundred and fifty years ago to the sea…"

I nodded fervently. That part of the dream was forever scarred in my mind; the blonde vampire getting ready to tear me limb from limb.

"And my uncle Von tried to catch it…"

_Uncle _Von? Oh, God… please don't let him be looking for Rudolf… what if he tried to rip it out of me when we met? What would Rudolf think?

"And we've never seen him since."

Praise the Lord! …and as bad as that sounded, I meant it in the nicest way possible.

"From that night to this, our wandering has never ended…" He looked back to his hands, and again my chest throbbed.

Awkwardly, I laid my hand on his shoulder, trying to swallow the rising lump in my throat. "I'll help you find it… that must be what my dream really means."

Rudolf looked up, beaming. "Yes!" He gripped my shoulder with more enthusiasm than I had his. "You're to join our quest! We'll truly be brothers now!"

However, a loud screech drew our attention away from each other and into the sky. I hadn't looked long before Rudolf had yanked me to my feet and gave me a nudge that sent me stumbling over grave mounds. "Hide! My parents are coming!"

I looked at him over my shoulder, trying to regain my footing. "But we're brothers?"

Panicked, he waved me on, "They don't know that! Go!"

The way he was acting now told me not to argue and I hid behind a mound of granite that had probably once been a statue of an angel. There was another screech and I looked up in time to see two giant bats slowly transform into people… and they were none other than the Stoic Man and the woman who had been with him…

_They _were Rudolf's parents? And the blonde man who almost killed me every time I fainted was his uncle? God, I had some shitty luck.

I did look over to Rudolf, though, and despite seeming so panicked a minute ago, he now seemed relieved to see his family.

"Mother! Father!" A giant grin consumed his face.

The woman met him in a hurried stride, throwing her arms around him. "Rudolf! Thank the stars you're safe!"

Mr. Stoic placed his hands on his son's shoulders, looking relieved. "My son, you must not stray so far away again…"

"We were afraid—"

Rudolf cut off his mother with a small laugh. "I was only taking a road less traveled."

The mother smiled, taking his chin between her thumb and index finger. "You got lost, my poor Rudolf…"

Another whooshing sound filled the air and I turned to see another bat transform into a petite blonde young woman who came down gently, landing upon another tombstone. "Yoo-hoo!" She called, looking expectant. She waved a fan in front of her face, but it did nothing to hide how womanly her form was. Her dress was red and gold and hugged her body; lace seemed to spout from unexpected places, giving her an air of being delicate; but just how delicate could a female vampire really be?

Rudolf whirled around, his face lighting up. "Anna!"

They embraced and I frowned some. "Brother! Darling!" She kissed his forehead, continuing, "You're the nervy one, sneaking off like some day-walker."

He snorted. "I wish." Rudolf backed away some, a hand laying on his sister's knee as he eyed his father. "So, father, did you find the stone?"

Passion began to contort the marble face. "No. But I'm sure we're on the right path."

"Because—"

"We still have a week and twenty four hours…"

"But, you see, that's—"

"I will not fail you!"

I had become so enraptured in their conversation, it took me by surprise when the mother looked my way, saying, "Gregory!"

Suddenly, I became away of the presence behind me and it pressed flush up against my back, pinning me to the stone. This Gregory hissed near my ear and I could feel his teeth brush against my neck as my body was pressed further into the stone, his hands trapping my wrists. I whimpered.

The force against me was suddenly ripped off, and I turned to see Rudolf standing between us, his hands gripping his brother's collar. I couldn't see his face, but his words were drenched in venom as he shoved him up against the cemetery wall. "_No_, Gregory, he's my friend."

I found myself staring up the Stoic Man this time, as he growled "A mortal," right into my face.

Stumbling away from him, I stammered, "I-I'm Rudolf's friend…"

His arm shot forward, his hand wrapping around my throat, his nails sinking into my skin as he lifted me off the ground. I winced. "You'll never be _anything _to my son."

"Tony!" I glanced around and saw Rudolf was now trapped in his brother's grasp, struggling to get towards me.

The father shook me and continued. "A victimizer, slave," his eyebrows shot up suggestively as he grinned. "Dinner, perhaps… but you can never be his friend."

Still struggling, Rudolf shouted, "He likes vampires!"

By this point, I was starting to feel dizzy; uselessly, I tried to push his hand away.

"And he dreams about us!"

From somewhere behind the Stoic Man, I could hear Anna ask, in a tone that was none too innocent, "Am _I_ in your dreams, mortal?"

This time, sounding much more desperate, "And he knows about the amulet!"

The grip on my throat tightened. "Ah, then he's a spy, Rookery's knave."

"Darling, he doesn't look like a spy." Rudolf's mother placed a hand on her husband's arm, lowering it and me until my feet touched the ground.

Luckily, Rudolf had broken free of his brother and had caught me before I had fallen over; one arm wrapped around my waist, his other hand pressed against my neck so he could stop the bleeding.

Once more appraising me, the mother stroked the Stoic Man's shoulder. "And besides, even Rudolf couldn't make up such a story… could you, sweetheart?

I could feel Rudolf shake his head.

"Mortal or not, he's just a boy…" She lifted her husband's hand to her lips, kissing his fingers. I could have sworn I saw her lick and savor my blood on his nails. With sweet, ruby eyes, she went on. "But if you insist on eating him… go ahead…"

Rudolf's grip on me tightened.

Looking offended, the Stoic Man growled. "I never said I would!" His body twitched some, as if he had caught the scent of my blood too. "It's impossible… leave, I say." He growled at me.

I tried to tell him that Rudolf's grip on me was just a little to tight for me to escape out of… "But Rudolf—"

But he cut me off. "Never should have befriended you. Leave, I say!" He hissed and lunged forward and Rudolf stepped in front of me, leaving me plenty of space to get the hell out of there.

Once more, I was stumbling over gravestones and mounds, trying to find a way out. I hoped with all of my heart that Rudolf wouldn't be in trouble for defending me. If anything were to happen to him… I don't know what I'd do.

When a strange whirring noise started, I stopped running to look back. Standing there with some giant, bizarre gun-machine, stood a man, smoking a large cigar.

Even from where I stood, I could hear the father cry, "Rookery! Get back! Get back! Go, take the family!" I moved so I could see them all scrambling for protection; however, Gregory seemed to move beside his father. This was the first time I could see him clearly and I almost wished I hadn't. He looked the least Victorian out of his entire family. His build was massive and he easily towered over his father. In all honesty, he looked grunge punk by today's standards… and he scared the shit out of me.

The Stoic Man shoved him back towards where the rest of the family was headed. "Run! Do as I say!" He added, seeing that Gregory was reluctant to move.

The first shot was fired; a wooden stake bounced off a statue.

My heart was racing. I didn't know what to do, I took a few more steps and tripped over something. Much to my surprise, I found it was a power cord.

"Stay away from my family!" In all his honor and misguided intentions, I watched in horror as the Stoic Man flung his arms out, shouting, "Do your worst!"

Was this man crazy? Why would he be willing to do that? Idiot! I yanked the cord and weakly a stake spluttered out of the gun.

Surprise seemed to come over everyone's faces, but Anna's voice rang through the almost deserted cemetery. "The Age of Chivalry is not yet dead…"

Taking this as his cue, Mr. Stoic, dropped his arms and gained an animalistic grin as he advanced towards the Vampire Hunter. However, as he was about to strike, Rookery whipped out a neon cross, thrusting it towards the Stoic One. He hissed and shied away.

Oh, shit. For whatever reason, Rookery had turned around and caught sight of me still holding the disconnected power line.

Furiously, he glowered "You," before beginning to advance on me. About five feet away, he stopped, thrusting the cross in my direction.

I looked at him.

When nothing happen, he scowled, drawing it to his chest before shoving it back towards me.

I couldn't help myself; I let out a little laugh.

He tried it for a few more times before, defeated, he lowered it to his side. His eyes narrowed. "What kind of blood-sucker are you?"

Holding up my middle finger, I shrugged. "A Christian one."

Caught up in this seemingly surreal adventure, I forgot that, oh yeah, by the way, there really _is _a creepy Vampire Hunter in front of me pulling out a gun. I staggered backwards, dropping the cord as I went, slipping on the now uphill slope I was scrambling over in order to escape. The gun was already pointed at me— I took another step back and landed on something like a groove— I tried to move away, but I was already falling through the ground, breaking boards, vines, and screaming. I thought for sure, for the second time tonight, this was it; I was going to fall to my death.

But instead of hitting the ground, I landed on something equally as hard. "Tony, are you all right?" I looked up to see Rudolf— eyes wild— clutching onto me as he looked up as well, immediately setting me on my feet. "Look out!"

I had a moment of spying Rookery pointing his gun straight at us, before Rudolf grabbed my hand, yanking me down a flight of stairs. There was a brief flash of light before the hand left mine, leaving me staggering around in the dark until a flare lit up the entire space.

"Wow…" The feeling of stupidity I had momentarily suffered after realizing the gun had been a flare gun had been overpowered by the intensity of the underground tomb I found myself standing in. Against the walls were stone coffins, there were large marble angels scattered around the area, and in the middle— I'm surprised I had managed to not run into it— was a large empty basin.

I was only knocked back into reality when Rudolf, braving the remaining light, grabbed my arm and pulled me back further into the shadows of the tomb. As my eyes adjusted, I could hear Rookery yelling with some one above us… I glanced around, making out the still dark shapes of Rudolf's family, who were just as intent upon listening to the argument.

When all had gone silent, I was seized roughly by my collar and was forced to once more look up at Rudolf's father. "What you did was foolish," he growled.

His wife put a hand on his shoulder again. "Foolish… but brave." She then gave me an appreciative smile.

I looked down; their stares were too much. When I did, though, I noticed the medallion from my dream hanging around the Stoic One's neck. Without thinking— God, I seemed to be doing that a lot lately—, I reached out, picking it off his chest. His hand latched onto mine…

…how did Rudolf get on the ceiling?

It was almost sunset… what was this lady doing riding alone this late? She dismounted her cream colored horse, leaving him to nibble at the grass outside the cave. Tentatively, she entered, the need for adventure strong in her eyes.

But further in, she stopped, gasping. There was a man who laid sprawled out on the gravel-y cave floor. She removed her crimson cloak, spreading it over his seemingly lifeless form. It's coat of arms, a pair of stags above a banner reading _Sola Animo Ai Manuforti_, stood out in contrast to the man's pale face.

Von. Von. It's Von. I wanted to scream at her, but I couldn't. I wasn't there this time. It was like I was God, the All Knowing, the All Seeing… the silent.

She reached out, curious. What was in his hand?

No, don't touch it.

As she lifted it to examine the amulet in the dying sunlight, he lifted his hand to her wrist and brought his teeth to her neck.

"Rudolf, you do something about him… I can't get near him, the smell's too strong… mother can't help either… father seems to have collapsed too."

There was a ripping sound and then something being pressed to the back of my head. I inhaled, wincing; God, that hurt.

"Oh, Tony, you're all right!"

Unwillingly, I opened my eyes, but I was glad I did so, Rudolf was beaming down at me. "Of course I'm all right, you stupid vampire…" I grumbled, gingerly touching the back of my head which Rudolf had covered with some sort of cloth. By now, it was safe to say my entire body was throbbing with at least some degree of pain. "Ughn… what happened?" Please, don't say—

"You fainted."

Ugh…

Slowly, I sat up, and I met the intense look from the Stoic One.

Without looking at his family members, he said flatly, as if it was obviously the only thing that could have happened, "We shared a vision."

I wanted to ask how the hell that could possibly have been, but the mother once more smiled at me. "He has a sympathy for our kind…"

"Oh, lovely." I had noticed that Anna had slowly made her way closer to us. With her comment that I had woke up to, I wasn't really sure I was ready to have her that close to me…

The Stoic One went on. "Young Von found the stone, then he made his way to Scotland…" He got to his feet and began pacing before his wife. "Plucked from the sea by a merchant ship, just as rumor had it…"

"Then he could still be roaming free." Now that I had a chance to think things through, Von must have been her brother… because he looked absolutely nothing like the Stoic One.

He went on, his eyes looking past us all, back to the vision. "There was a woman I had never seen before. She wore a strange coat of arms. We must find which family she belongs to… trace her crest." He stopped pacing only a few feet away from me.

Still sitting with support from Rudolf, I looked up at him. "I can help."

Without actually acknowledging I was there, he took up pacing again. "No… it's too risky to involve a mortal."

Rudolf's grip on my shoulders tightened infinitesimally. "What have we got to lose? We've been searching for _three _centuries…"

His father wheeled around, glaring daggers, his normally calm voice raised. "This is what comes from contacts with mortals! Disrespect! Insolence!"

"Frederick, he does have a point." His wife said softly, a drastic change to the yell which was still echoing off the marble surroundings.

"All right." The Stoic Man seemed to always agree with his wife… or at least, bend a little to her will. I hoped that maybe she had forgotten how my blood tasted and would help keep me alive. The tall, pale man advanced on me and I cowered back into Rudolf's chest. "Help if you can. But do not think to change your mind and betray us to our most hateful enemy or my wrath will be revealed." He bore down into my face. "Am I clear?"

Frantically, I nodded.

His eyebrows shot up towards his hairline, emphasizing his point.

I nodded again.

Now he seemed satisfied with my answer, and moved away from me, back to where his wife stood, who looked pleased that we had established some kind of peace treaty. But after noticing they were watching me… I noticed Anna was too, and unfortunately, so was Gregory. I shuddered.

Rudolf seemed to sense the growing awkwardness of the situation, he stood, inadvertently hauling me to my feet as well. My head was spinning. "I need to take Tony home… I'm sure he's had enough of the living dead for tonight."

His mother nodded and smiled. "Good night, young Tony."

Anna had smashed herself against me, pinning me between her and her brother. "Oh, my brave, dear Tony! I beg of you, return to us soon!"

"Anna," Rudolf warned, pulling me away.

The next thing I knew he had scooped me up and had launched us through the opening I had fallen through earlier. Although, instead of continuing upwards into the sky, he set me on the ground, steadying me when my legs threatened to send me back through the opening.

"I think my father likes you."

I seriously could have laughed. "That was liking me?"

Rudolf nodded, "I know he can seem like a monster because he's so stern with us…" He gave me a little nudge so we could walk through the graveyard while I got my bearings.

"He _is _a monster."

"But you don't know what it's like for us to be so tormented."

I stopped walking entirely. "Oh, yeah I do, it only happens to me every day at school…" I didn't want to tell him. I didn't want him thinking me weaker than I already was, but I wanted him to know my secrets, like I knew his. "Like yesterday when I came home early."

Something seemed to snap within him because when he turned to face me, his eyes were filled with fire. "Who _dares _torments my friend?"

I had barely breathed the word McAshton before he pulled us into the sky and had us zipping across the land faster than we had ever flown before. By the time we had reached the Manor, the sky was roaring with thunder and the winds had picked up. I was seriously beginning to think flying was a bad idea. "Are you doing this?" I asked in a small voice.

For the first time in the entire trip he finally laughed, albeit bitterly. "What would you think of me if I said yes?"

"I would want to go home and never piss you off again."

When he laughed, it was much more good natured, and that made me relax a little. "Well, as feared as we probably would become, no, we don't control the weather." He squeezed my hand. "And when you're mad, your face amuses me to no end, so I wouldn't have that."

I scowled. "What? What do you mean amuses you?"

Pointedly staring, and smiling, Rudolf pointed at me with his free hand. "That. Right there. Your face… it still has some boyhood in it. And when you scowl like that, it brings him out. Like a boy who hasn't gotten his way."

Left gaping, I wanted to scowl more, but that would only prove it more. I looked like a baby? Well, great. I'm sure that did loads for my image.

As I was left contemplating whether or not to ever look angry again, Rudolf has us zooming around the house, looking for the twin's room. Only a few minutes later, he had found it and pulled me out of my thoughts with a soft "Aha!"

He was about to push in the window, but he hesitated, suddenly frowning. "May I ask a favor of you?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Promise me whatever you do, do not look at me while we do this…"

I blinked. "Why not?"

He shook his head. "Just… don't, please… I sincerely beg you, even if I sound… unwell, just don't look at me."

His request peaked my interest to the max… but if he didn't want me to, I guess I wouldn't. I nodded, once again squeezing his hand. "Okay, Rudolf. I promise."

With that, he pushed open the window, placing me inside before he followed suit. With the wind, the windows began moving in and out, crashing and banging against each other and the wall.

The noise seemed to wake Nigel up, and he hurriedly dove into his brother's bed, shaking him fervently by the shoulder. "Flin', Flin', wake up, wake up!" He said hurriedly, even though his voice was still heavy with sleep.

As Flint began to stir, Rudolf whispered, "Say something", before nudging me out of the shadows.

I said the first thing that came to mind. "Aw, sorry, assholes, did I wake you up?"

They both bolted upright, glaring at me.

"It's Tony Thompson!" Flint said, smacking his brother in the chest with the back of his hand.

Nigel nodded. "Get him!"

Taking a step back, I felt Rudolf brush by me, sending me back into the dark corner. I took this as my cue to not look at him. I turned, hearing him stop the twins dead in their tracks.

Sharp cracks were followed by a low growl— or was it a moan? I couldn't tell, but my heart was already hammering. "I don't think so."

Their yells filled the room. Oh my God, what was going on?

I couldn't help it. I turned, and the moment I did, I wished I hadn't. My eyes went wide when I took in what Rudolf had become and immediately pressed my hand over my mouth. The stench had become unbearable; it smelled like decay and like something had died... I couldn't move; my body shook and my knees threatened to give out.

"I am the fiendish friend of Tony Thompson. If you do not treat him with respect, you'll feel my wrath. Tell anyone what you have just witnessed, and you'll be bat bait…" He hissed, and again, the boys screamed. "Come on."

He was before me again and I couldn't help but stare wide-eyed. I had seen him and I couldn't get the image out of my mind, even though now he was back to normal.

When he took my arm, realization flashed across his eyes and something inside him seemed to break; he let out a soft groan and launched us out the window.

The flight home was silent. I couldn't think of anything else. What had he become? What had I gotten myself into? There was so much I didn't know about him… there was entire world of things a useless, fragile mortal like me couldn't even begin to comprehend.

When Rudolf dumped me on my balcony, he didn't look at me. He just muttered a weak "Good-bye, Tony…" before turning.

"N-No, don't! Wait!" I grabbed his hand just as he had lifted off the stone railing of the balcony. "Where are you going?"

Still, he didn't look at me, but he didn't shake me away either. "I am feeling weak… I think I will go to the cows now…"

"Let me come with you…"

"Tony…"

"Rudolf, please…"

Resignedly, he consented, his fingers barely touching the back of my hand as we flew to the barn.

I waited through him feeding, bearing the squelching noises much better this time, unfortunately because I compared them to the noise and smell I had dealt with earlier. When he was done, we stood in silence for a few minutes, the words I had carefully constructed falling apart when, with sad eyes, he looked at me.

"Why are you here, Tony?"

"I—…"

He braced himself, sighing deeply. "I know you saw me… so what do you want with me?"

"I—… what— what was that thing?"

"It was me."

I shook my head. "No… no, that… that thing… no… it's… no, it's not you…"

In three long strides he had reached me and grabbed the sides of my face in a vice-like grip, forcing me to look at him right in the eye. "Tony, that thing _was _me, no matter what you try to say, I am that hideous, hell-sent creature you saw tonight. It is who I am. And it is only who I am. No one else turns into that disgusting thing… only me." His stare was so intense and infinite, I felt myself getting lost in it, but I couldn't get lost… not now, not with this stupid talk of his.

"No, that's not who you are. The Rudolf I know is my best friend and loves his family and just wants to be human again… that's not who you are… don't say that…"

"You don't know me, Tony… we've been friends for only three days. I've been alive for much, much longer… my father is right, I shouldn't have befriended you."

I scowled at him, a remote part of my mind reminding me how childish I must look. "I don't care. Sure, maybe I've only been alive for seventeen years, but even in these three days I can recognize that you are the best friend I have ever had. I don't care if you were the only person in the history of forever that can turn into that thing, but it's not you, and it's not your fault and I don't care!" I could feel my eyes stinging, tears threatening to spill. I didn't want to cry… but at this point, I didn't care if I did. I didn't want Rudolf to go. I wanted him to stay and be my best friend forever. "It doesn't make you a bad person and it's not your fault, you're a good person, and I'm sorry I looked, you just sounded like you were in so much pain and I wanted to make sure they hadn't hurt you and I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry but that thing isn't you and I can't— I can't—"

Rudolf had his arms around me and I found myself crying bitterly into his shoulder. I should have been the one trying to comfort him, but here he was, trying to calm me down. I was crying so hard that I didn't realize he had flew us back into the house until he carefully helped me climb through the window.

After a time, he pried my fingers off his jacket, and helped me into bed. He tried to leave, but I half-growled, half-whined for him to stay a little longer.

With an amused smile, he sat on the side of my bed, pointing towards my face. "You look like a child again."

"I-I-I do-don't c-care…"

His smile grew softer and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his legs. "I think you are the first person to ever cry for me. To be honest, I never expected it to be some seventeen year old boy, but thank you."

I was still frowning. "G-Gee… th-thanks…"

"I do mean it, Tony. Thank you. I am glad I have found a friend in you… I-… I was just afraid that when you saw me, you would be disgusted, like most other people are… that you would want me to stay away. I didn't expect you to act how you did on the balcony… I… by then, I was already trying to push you away… I didn't think… I didn't think you would cry…" He sighed, but it didn't seem unhappy— just content. "I'm so glad you worry for me… I feel the friendship you described too. This is, indeed, something special, and I was worried about losing it… but to hear you say that those—" He tensed, "_Miscreants_, were tormenting you… I couldn't… I…"

From under the blankets, I reached up, taking one of his hands.

He blinked down at me, before looking at our hands and then continuing. "I'm not the only one who has this… my uncle, Von… he too, turned into this."

"Why?" I asked, my voice almost cracking.

"We don't know… the closest theory we have speculated has been because he and I have both gone through immense trauma when we were human… we think our rage, anger, pain, and suffering carried over when we were changed, and then intensified so severely that it allows us to turn into that beast."

I squeezed his hand tighter and frowned. "I'm sorry…"

Rudolf shook his head and smiled. "Don't be. You have done enough for me tonight and I will always be indebted to you, Tony." He pressed my hand with his other hand before standing. "Please, rest, now. Your day has been impossibly long, and my family will wonder where I've gone off to if I am gone much longer."

Sure enough, the digital clock already said it was four seventeen. As I let my arm fall from his side, I nodded. "Will you come b-back tonight?"

"As sure as the sun will rise, I will come back. And until then, dream of you beating me at Halo, because when I come back, dreams will be all your winning will be." He smirked, as I scowled.

"Get out of here, loser."

"Good night, Tony."


	5. I Need A Friend Tonight

**Saturday**

Only a moment or so after he left, I'm pretty sure I fell asleep. But I didn't dream of Halo. Instead, it was like my usual dream, the one I had before fainting… except, when the amulet was flung into the air, I was the one running after it. I threw myself off the cliff, gaining on the falling amulet. Much to my horror, though, I wasn't plummeting towards the ocean, but rather a large field.

Wonderful. If I managed to catch the damn thing, I'd probably end up breaking my neck in the process.

Ah! Just a little bit more— …got it! I grinned, the triumph of catching the amulet outweighing the horror of my impending death. Rudolf would be so pleased!

"Tony! You did it!" And there he was. In the field, arms outstretched as he caught me, laughing the purest laugh that I had ever heard. "You did it! I can't believe it! You've saved us all…"

I grinned up at my friend, handing him the valued gem.

However, as he took it, the beast from inside him began clawing its way out, snatching the amulet out of Rudolf's hand. Rudolf's agonized screams rang in my ears as I watched in horror as he fell to the ground, leaving Hell's creature standing in front of me, grinning maliciously. It was horrible. It's long, boney fingers curved around the gem, it's nails still dripping blood. The torn, bat-like wings seemed to stretch out forever and it's teeth glinted in the moonlight.

I couldn't move; my instincts were to run, but I couldn't.

In a last dying, spluttering cough, Rudolf reached out, "R-Run… To-Tony…"

But it was too late. The creature took a swipe at me, his clawed hand hitting my head with a blinding smash. I couldn't see anything as the thing tore me apart, but every new hit made my head throb, and I cried out, wishing I could just die.

"Tony…"

I'm sorry, Rudolf…

"Tony!"

I bolted upright, immediately regretting it. I clutched my head, leaning forward, letting out a groan.

Some one put their hand on my shoulder. "Tony, honey? Are you all right?" I heard my mom gasp and then prod at the back of my head lightly. "Oh, my God! What happened to your head?"

Simply shrugging, things got quiet for a few minutes. I guess I was too preoccupied with trying to shake off my dream to actually realize that my mom had run off to go get an armful of bandages which she decided she was going to apply to my head right then and there, chattering on aimlessly while I uselessly tried to pull myself out of my nightmare.

After a time, another voice pierced my mother's high-pitched droning.

"Dottie, what's taking so— what happened to his head?"

I looked up at them at last, still feeling exhausted and in pain. "I think I might have fainted again…"

Cautiously, my mother asked "And the vampires?"

Well, there was really no sense in worrying them more. And besides, I figured telling them I was dealing with actual vampires rather than fainting spell vampires wasn't exactly the smartest move, I lied. "I don't think so. If I did, I don't remember…"

My dad frowned a little, looking me over. "Hmm, maybe that means you're getting better?"

"Bob, there's a bleeding dent in his head! How much better can he actually be?"

As they debated over that, I looked around noticing that, according to the clock, it was only eight forty-two. I had only been asleep for about four hours… no wonder I was still so tired. As I sunk back into my pillows, I looked up at my parents, attempting to look as patient as some one who desperately needed a good six hours of sleep could manage. "Is… there any reason… why you're here?" I yawned.

My mom looked down at me, smoothing back my hair. "Oh, right. We were going to see if you wanted to come shopping with us… we're going out of town to do it, but since your head… well, maybe you should stay here and rest some more."

What a brilliant woman. I nodded.

"We'll probably be back after dinner. If you get hungry, there's still left-overs in the fridge."

Again, I nodded, and in a matter of minutes, I was asleep again.

* * *

When I woke up again, it was to the roar of my stomach demanding something to eat. I sat up slowly, trying to not upset my head like I had earlier. The sun was minutes away from setting and I found myself grinning, knowing Rudolf would be here sometime soon.

My stomach growled again, reminding me it didn't care who was coming over. It needed food. Following orders, I headed downstairs, raiding the fridge for the few-days old food. Thank goodness it was just the non-burnt pasta; otherwise I probably would have just tried to fix myself something, which probably wouldn't have ended well. I stuffed the Tupperware into the microwave, hoping that a minute would make it warm enough, and strolled through the living room, wishing the sun would set.

The hum of the microwave only made my stomach growl louder, so finally I grabbed the remote control, flipping to a sports station before going back to retrieve dinner. With that in hand, I flopped onto the couch, figuring Rudolf could smell that it was only me and he would just come down when he got here.

* * *

However, when I finally got sick of watching the basketball game, I noticed it was definitely dark outside; the clock said it had been almost an hour since I had sat down, and there was no vampire sitting next to me. Frowning, I got up, stretched and carried my stuff back to the kitchen.

"Rudolf?" I yelled, hoping that maybe he was just upstairs. He should have been here about half an hour ago… even at the latest; he had promised… Maybe he was doing something with his family. Shit. It was dark again and now the vampire hunter knew where they were living! What if something had—

With almost leaving the water running, I slammed the faucet off, fumbled through the pen drawer, scribbled that I would be at Rudolf's and I took the car on a paper towel, shoved my feet into my shoes and took off out of the front door like a bat out of hell. Well, a small voice in my mind offered, that was a stupid pun.

Did you know that when your best friend is possibly being tortured, it's more than just a little distracting? And did you know that when you're driving distractedly, you're not a very good driver? And when you drive like shit because of the aforementioned reasons, you can't remember which graveyard your best friend even lives in? And did you know that there's practically a _billion_ freaking cemeteries in our town alone?

So, the sixth cemetery I wandered through, I finally realized this one was it. Why? It was probably because of the blood-curdling screams; it kind of tends to be a reliable giveaway.

But I was still only on the other side of the graveyard! I took off running, hoping I was going in the right direction. To top things off, I had no idea as to how I was even going to—

"Holy _shiiiiiiit_!" All right. Scratch that. I cringed, trying to pull myself to my feet. I had managed to fall through another hole. But as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could see I had fallen into the large underground mausoleum, and the screams were even louder than before. Thank God I was so unbelievably gifted at finding holes in the ground. As I was running towards my probably-soon-to-be-dead-best-friend-if-my-fucking-legs-wouldn't-hurry-the-fuck-up, I noticed the area up ahead was getting brighter and brighter. That son of a bitch! Using a light underground? What a cheap move!

As I stumbled onto the sight of them, all huddled together, their flesh slowly disintegrating off, I locked eyes with Rudolf, who apologetically called out of my name, before turning his head away from me. My stomach dropped. Not just a little whoosh, like I was going downhill on a rollercoaster, but more like, I'm pretty sure I no longer have a stomach. That was a giving up action. I hadn't gone through emotional hell last night just so that I could watch my best friend die here.

In a panic, I looked around, hoping there would be something I could use to stop the light. I found a good sized rock, but even as I threw it, all I had managed to do was to make it swing back and forth. I took a few more steps forward, and that's when I saw it, an armless marble statue. The arms, thank God, were propped up against the wall; I grabbed one, took off running, and, with my best hole-in-one swing, I sent the entire cage of lights shattering across the now pitch black underground tomb.

I stumbled my way back to where Rudolf's family had been cowering, blindly groping my way through the darkness.

As arms reached back for me, I could hear the murmurs of relief and thanks as it sounded like they had all taken temporary refuge on the floor. Rudolf's arms wrapped so tightly around me, I could hardly breathe, but the soft "You are my hero, Tony Thompson," he whispered in my ear suddenly made the whole not being able to breathe thing seem not as important.

When he finally let me go, I felt his hand on my back, steering me towards the rest of his family. My eyes were finally re-adjusting, so I could make out some figures on the steps. It was then when another one of them moved, launching themselves towards me— a frightening, dark blur. Oh, dear, sweet, Jesus, please don't let it be Gregory!

I wanted to sing the Hallelujah Chorus as I felt the lace of sleeves brushing against my face; prayers are answered— it was only Anna.

"My darling, you've saved us all!" She cried, hugging me and burying her face in my neck— something I wasn't actually okay with. I shuddered.

"Anna, dear, come here and help me tend to your father." Thank you, Mrs. Rudolf's mom… "Tony, dear, how did you know where to find us?"

Rudolf, however, had decided that now was going to be the moment he was going to use me as a crutch, so finding the right words, let alone balance, was becoming increasingly difficult. "Ahh…" I began, trying to shift under the vampire's weight, "Well… I didn't… actually…" I admitted softly. "I couldn't really remember which cemetery was yours…" I spent a little while looking at Mr. Stoic, and cringed when he weakly glared (when I say weakly, it was still like he was trying to glare a hole through my pathetic mortal existence) up at me, and I found myself asking "Sir… are you all right…?"

"You barely saved my life." It wasn't 'I'm sorry for glaring at you, and hey, thanks for saving me'. It was an accusation; 'pshaaaw, you pathetic human boy who managed to save my life, how _dare_ you be as late was you were'. Even in his almost immortal death, he still hated me. Wonderful.

As if she was trying to smooth things over, gently, Mrs. Stoic supplied, "We're very, very weak."

Not that I couldn't tell, what with all of them laying sprawled on the steps and Rudolf clinging to me like I was life support. Thank God, I had the car with me. "I know just what you need."

* * *

Much of the car ride to the next door neighbor's farm consisted of the family, aside from Rudolf— who sat next to me on the passenger's side, knees tucked up into his chest, feet resting on the dashboard, staring out the window with tired resignation—, yelling at Gregory for apparently attacking some one, which had caused all of this mess to begin with.

First off, I don't know how Rudolf's dad had the balls to say some of the things he did. Second of all, I don't know how he had the balls to say that to _Gregory_. It was the worst driving experience of my life. There would be this normal "shame on you" conversation going, when all of a sudden either Mr. Stoic or Gregory would lash out at each other and the next thing I know, I'm trying to drive with half of the car in the air. I mean, shit, weren't they supposed to be "very, very weak"? It went without saying, when we got to the barn, I once again was singing the Hallelujah Chorus.

As they all staggered their way towards the barn, still arguing in hushed voices, I let out a sigh, not realizing Rudolf was still sitting next to me. I blinked; he wasn't just sitting next to me, he was now staring at me with an other-worldly, unblinking fixation. "Ahm… yeah?"

It seemed like an eternity had passed before he said anything. Then, finally, "…it's nothing." And with that, he slipped out of the car, to join his family.

Even after he left, I sat there, not really sure what had just happened, or even why it had just happened. After another moment, I wondered if I should go into the barn as well. Was I supposed to intrude on their family dinner? My pride flared; maybe Mr. Stoic would be in a much more grateful mood now that he wasn't dying anymore. Psh, dying, what kind of excuse is that to not show some one gratitude for saving their life?

I reached the doors to the barn, met with the sight of the vampire family huddled together, whispering in low voices. Rudolf, I noted, was still by a seemingly lifeless, still standing cow, petting its neck and mumbling apologies. Shoving my hands in my pockets, I leaned up against one of the walls. "So, are you all feeling better?"

Only Anna and Mrs. Stoic looked up from the huddle.

"Oh, yes, dear. Much better. Thank you for your kindness."

Anna sent me a particularly dazzling grin, attempting to emphasize her mother's words. Despite the fact her smile looked much like the one Rudolf had shown me the first night we met, the one that damned well stopped my heart, Anna's, however, looked much more hungry.

I smiled back, swallowing.

As if none of the conversation had taken place, Mr. Stoic blurted out, "Now, I must find a place you hide you all."

"You can stay at my house." I offered, smiling when Rudolf looked over, beaming in my direction.

Again, as if I wasn't even there, "We need darkness, dampness, and decay."

"Our cellar is pretty much all of that."

At which point, Mr. Stoic seemed as if he had forgiven Gregory, because they both suddenly became engulfed in trying to find the new perfect family location. Was this man trying to massacre my pride?

"The cave by the coastline?"

"No, no, it doesn't nearly extend into enough darkness; it would be much too bright during the day."

Me, "Ah, hello…? My house?"

"What do you think about that abandoned manor that was just down the way?"

"No good. It was torn down."

"You're right. That is no good."

This time, a little closer… a little louder, "I said you could stay at my house."

"There are several more cemeteries, father."

"Yes, but you'll remember, most of them only have above-ground mausoleums, and we simply do not have the time to go find which of them are safe."

I let out a loud sigh, clenching my fists.

"There's always the others. We could go to them."

"True, but your mother and Anna still may be too weak to fly."

"I could carry them."

"Yes, you could, but—"

"Oh, _for the love of God_, would two just shut up and get in the car so I can take you back to my fucking basement?"

Note to self: Do _not_ yell at the undead vampire Lords.

Both of them, in perfect harmony, turned, loomed above me, and growled "What did you say, _mortal_?"

Why was everyone so persistent in trying to remind me that I was the only one capable of dying? I shivered and immediately backed away, dropping my gaze to the hay-covered floor. "N-N-Nothing, your Vampire Goodness… sir…" My voice sounded as pre-pubescent as a thirteen-year old girl.

"What he's been trying to say, father, is that his house is open to us." Rudolf offered, taking a protective stance in front of me. "He's already done so much for us already, are you so stubborn that you cannot overlook that he's only trying to help us further?"

A sharp crack made me jump, thinking that for whatever reason, the barn had decided it was going to collapse on us, only to realize that Mr. Stoic had slapped his younger son.

"Frederick!" Mrs. Stoic gasped.

"Insolent boy."

The best kind of awkward silence is the ones that literally have a killing edge to them; I seriously thought that some one here was going to die tonight. Just as things were becoming unbearable, Rudolf finally grabbed my hand, yanking me out of the barn— we practically flew to the car—, he got inside, slamming the door so hard that as I climbed into the driver's side, I prayed that we would still be able to open it again.

I nudged his elbow. "Rudolf…? Should I just take you back or—"

Anna had come out with us and she tapped on the window with her finger, before pointing to herself. "May I come with you?"

Unsure, I just nodded; and within a few more moments, the rest of the family, apparently following the lead of a very indignant looking Mrs. Stoic, had joined us.

Needless to say, the ride back to my house was completely silent.

It wasn't until we actually got to the cellar I finally cleared my throat, making a small popping noise with my lips. Wow. In the dark, it looked as if a tornado had ripped through the basement. "Well, ah… I'm sorry it's—"

"Perfect."

Well, that was not the adjective I would have used, but Rudolf's mother seemed enraptured with our lack of proper storage skills, so, somehow, it managed to pass. This thought alone eased my mind somewhat, and I felt the edges of my mouth quirk upwards as I watched the women of the family explore the basement in silent awe. "Okay, well, I need to go upstairs. Have a good day's sleep. And don't worry. I'm on it."

Mrs. Stoic sent me a troubled look. "On… on what, dear?"

Rudolf smiled gently, placing a hand on her arm. "Finding the amulet, mother. That's how we kids talk today."

Her eyes widened as she nodded once. "Oh…"

"Bye, dude." I waved.

His head practically snapped up. "Good night, dude."

As I was climbing the stairs, I heard footsteps behind me.

"Ahh, actually, Tony… wait…"

"Rudolf? What? Do you need me to get you something?"

Ruby eyes bore up at me, but they suddenly were looking everywhere but my face. "I… well… I know you've already done so much for us… so, you're probably tired of me by now… so, perhaps, I shouldn't even ask—"

I took a few steps back down the stairs so I was more level with him. "Dude," I smirked. "What the hell are you even saying? You're my best friend. Ask away."

Finally, he looked back, trapping his lower lip between his teeth. "Mmn… can I sleep with you tonight?"

I'm pretty sure my heart stopped beating.

If a vampire could blush, Rudolf would have been as red as his eyes. He took a step back from me, holding out his arms, waving them around. "Ah! No, no, no! Not, no, I meant… augh, no!" He hit his face with his palms, raking his nails down his cheeks. "Augh… what I was trying to ask was would you mind if I slept in your room?" I guess I must have looked like I went into shock or something, because he tentatively waved his hand in front of my face. "If you don't want me to, I can stay down here, I didn't mean to—"

Now probably as red as he should have been, I waved it off, turning back to climb the stairs. "Of course you can, you didn't even have to ask…" I mumbled, trying to block out the mental replay of his heart-stopping question.

We walked up the stairs in silence, although I could practically feel how relieved Rudolf was for being out of the basement. Not that I'd blame him, or anything, considering he was slapped as hard as a barn threatening to collapse. But as we got near the top of the stairs, he tugged on the back of my shirt, nodding his head in the direction of my parents' room.

I shot him a questioning look, but another voice answered my question.

"Tony…? Is that you?"

Taking that last step up onto our floor, I looked to see my dad squinting in the dark, hands resting on his hips. "Yeah, dad, it's me."

"What are you doing home? I thought you were at," he yawned. "Rudolf's."

Shrugging, "Well, um… they were kind of having some family problems… with his older brother, and I didn't think I really should have been there. So I came back… sorry about just leaving you a note. I didn't know when you guys were coming home."

My dad waved off the apology, scanning me up and down. It was probably a good thing it was dark, that way he wouldn't have to see all of the dirt smudges I got from falling through that hole… "How's your head feeling?"

Oh. At the mention, I reached up, gingerly touching it. It hadn't exactly been my top priority tonight, but it wasn't throbbing any more, so I guess the bandages had done it some good. "It's feeling better."

"Good, good. And, well, the McAshton's invited us to go to church with them and then come back to their house for lunch." I tried to repress a groan. "Hey, no worries, sport. I already let them know that you weren't feeling well this weekend, so you can finish up with your homework, or just hang out. If things get better with Rudolf's family, or if he needs a place to stay for a while, you can have him over."

I wasn't really sure what to say. This was how dad _used_ to act. I floundered for something to say, but all could manage was a "Cool, thanks."

He nodded, as if he had been expecting a little more. Way to fuck that one up, Tony. The one time he acts like he used to, you kill it. Great. "Uh, so you're going to bed?"

I shrugged. "I guess."

"All right. Well, good night."

I watched him disappear into his room, still feeling disappointed in myself. But just as I was wondering whether or not I should go after him and tell him something else, what that was, was pretty much beyond me, Rudolf walked past me, into my room. So, I thought an apology that I somehow hoped my dad could hear, and followed the vampire. However, instead of finding him sitting on my couch, with an X-Box controller, much like I had expected, he was lying on my bed, curled into a relatively disturbing ball. I say disturbing, because as far as I am aware there is only one nineteen (or rather, three hundred and sixty eight) year old guy who can look that disturbingly good and dignified curled up into the fetal position. He had also managed to turn on the lamp and was clutching a pillow to his chest.

"…ah… umm…" I swallowed, shutting the door. "Are you going to be okay?"

He peeked up at me through his mess of black hair, "I do not know…" He answered softly. "I really am sorry I keep causing you trouble. It's just my…" Trailing off, he hugged the pillow tighter, burying his face in it.

Rubbing the back of my neck, I walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge. "You know, your dad probably is just stressed—"

"Mmph mm mph mmph mmphmmph mmph?"

I smirked. "Sorry, I don't speak vampire."

Rudolf pulled the pillow away from his face, glaring at me. "I said can we talk about something else?"

"Well," I pulled off my shoes and chucked them towards my desk. "What do you want to talk about then?"

For a while, he didn't say anything, but finally, still clutching my pillow, "How _is_ your head? It's my fault for not catching you… I didn't think you would have fai—"

"It's fine. _Fine_." I didn't faint. I passed out. There _is_ a difference.

We talked a while; about a lot of things. I told him about my dream, excluding the details of him catching me, but he just laughed and said I didn't have to worry. He had control of the creature, not the other way around. Rudolf then told me about what had happened with Rookery and Gregory and how Greg had managed to turn an unsuspecting victim into a vampire, and how it had pretty much royally fucked the entire community of vampires now that there was proof. We talked about basketball, and how, one day, I was going to teach him to play— even though, frankly, I suck at it. He then asked if it was okay if he was partially serious about sleeping in the same bed as me. Trying my best to retain some degree of composure and not look as red in the face as I felt, I said it was fine. It was a Queen-sized bed, so there should be plenty of room.

"I'm sorry… it's just, I need a friend tonight."

That last confession was pretty much the final push, and I was certain that if he had asked for anything else, no matter what it was, I would have said yes.

Silently, we both changed into night clothes, and slipped into bed; he was laying on his back, staring up at the ceiling, while I was curled on my side, watching. It felt like an eternity, watching him like that. I had memorized the contours of his face and was beginning to wonder if vampires slept with their eyes open, when he turned his head, ruby eyes bright even in the dark.

"Tony, why, in God's name, are you staring at me like that?"

I yanked the covers over my head, embarrassed because he had been awake the entire time. Oh, lovely. "I-… I didn't know you were awake…"

"How could I sleep?"

"Sorry…" I rolled over, still curled up and still hiding under the blankets. When I thought maybe all was well and that now the vampire could finally get some sleep without me trying to stare a hole through his head, I felt the bed shift as he rolled into his side, propping his head up just above mine. Why could he always make me blush like this?

He sighed a little, before asking "What were you thinking?"

Scooting away a little, so I could turn to look at him, I pulled the blanket down, so it was just below my eyes. "Regarding what…?"

"Not to sound narcissistic, but when you were watching me."

Well, God, now I really sounded like a creeper. My grip on the blanket tightened, but I just shrugged. "I dunno… well, okay, I guess I do know, but I don't want to bring it up if it's going to bother you. I mean, you didn't want to talk about him earlier…"

An eyebrow arched, and there was a single word to accompany it. "Him." He already knew who I was talking about.

I nodded, "Yeaaah. I don't get why you keep standing up to him for me if you know he's only going to hit you like that."

His lips pressed into a hard, thin line, and his eyes scanned my face before he finally smiled. "Well, it was great talking to you. I think I'm going to go to bed now. Good night, Tony." And with that, he rolled over, yanking all of the blankets with him.

"Oh, hell no!" I tried to pry them away from him, but he pulled back… which inadvertently sent me flying over him, which meant landing on the floor. "You. Are. An. Asshole." I growled, every word punctuated.

Rudolf laughed as he hoisted me back into bed, dumping the pile of blankets and sheets on top of me. "Sorry."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just go to bed already."

"Good night."

"Yeah, good night, Rudolf."

* * *

A/N.

Oh'kaaaay, then. I'd just like to clear up something.

I do realize that the Vampies' last name isn't Stoic. It's Sackville-Bagg. Tony only calls them Mr. and Mrs. Stoic because he hasn't learned their last name yet. ;] That'll come soon. No worries.


	6. Do You Think We Could Ever

A/N.

Well, hello, dear readers.

I really appreciate all of your support and your comments. And I'm so sorry this has taken so long; I've been doing a lot of travelling this summer and there were quite a few times that I couldn't have my computer with me…

But, now I am settled in at college and have a little bit of time before school starts!

And I'm sure you would all like to personally dedicate this Sunday to the Houston Airport, because chances are, if they weren't such fails and hadn't sent me to San Antonio then called us back to Houston, which made me miss my connecting flight, aka giving me a seven hour lay-over, I probably still wouldn't be done with this!

…so. Haha. There. That's really all I wanted to tell you.

So, Houston, this is for you.

And the boys do a lot of talking. It's a lazy day… but there is so much talking. :|

* * *

**Sunday**

Sometimes, when I would sleep— generally speaking, the nights when I had first moved here, when I wasn't passing out and dreaming about vampires— I would have these dark, dark dreams… or really, a lack of one, I guess. It would be pitch black and full of dread and apprehension, even though nothing was happening; and, usually, I'd end up waking up feeling exhausted, cold, and alone.

This morning, it was kind of the same… although, the darkness wasn't as dreading and I didn't feel alone, even though I felt like I was about to turn into an ice cube. Part of my semi-conscious mind wondered if Rudolf was feeling any better… I sighed, not quite sure if I wanted to wake up yet, snuggling into my pillow— oh my fucking hell. Did my pillow just snuggle back? I opened my eyes and, lo and fucking behold, I lay curled up on Rudolf's chest! Oh, my God, how did I even end up here? What would he say if he was awa— ...some one, shoot me now. He was awake. He looked as if he'd been awake for hours.

Immediately, I squirmed away from him, rolling over and pulling myself into a tight ball, wishing my face didn't feel so hot. Oh, my God… this was _so_ wrong on _so_ many different levels.

"…erm… Tony…?"

I didn't answer.

Rudolf cleared his throat. "You were talking in your sleep… you said that you were afraid… and then you sort of latched on to me, like you had. I apologize for doing nothing about it, but I didn't have the heart to wake you."

At last, I finally rolled over, scrutinizing the sincerity in his face, but I sighed after a minute, instead, asking "What time is it?"

"It's a little past noon."

I bolted up, looking at him then to the window. "How are you not dying?"

He answered, even though I had figured it out by now, "It's been raining for quite some time. It's very overcast. So, I should be fine." He sat up as well, stretching his arms before smirking at me. "Thank you for your concern."

Smacking him with the back of my hand, I winced. "Shut up." Although, I couldn't help but smiling as well. "You're lucky my dad said you could stay over, otherwise, I would have kicked you out already."

"Of course, Tony, just keep telling yourself that."

We both wandered downstairs, me to get breakfast, and for him to just keep me company.

As we were sitting at the table, I lifted my spoon out of my cereal, waving it around a little, swallowing the mouthful of coco-y goodness— yes, so sue me, my favorite cereal was Coco Puffs. "So, since you're not eating… how often do you eat?"

He bit down on his lip, mulling over the answer. "Eh, I would say maybe once or twice a week, depending if we can find a different herd of cows." I must have looked completely horrified, which I was, considering, if it were me, I would have died of starvation by now, but Rudolf just laughed, stretching out a little, leaning onto the table, propping his head up with his hand. "We also don't have to eat as much… I mean, yes, there are still hunger pains, but they're much more bearable, and each time we feed, we can go for a few days before the hunger comes back."

"Well, that sucks."

"Pun intended?"

"You are such a nerd."

We— well, I— finished breakfast by discussing what exactly a nerd was, before Rudolf decided I was one, and he was as far from it as possible, instead claiming to be a "devilishly handsome, three hundred-year old with loads of intelligence and more than a lifetime's experience of the world". I silently couldn't help but to agree.

"So, should we invite your family up here too?"

Rudolf sent me a look that told me if I asked again, he'd personally see to the ending of my life, but at least he managed to explain. "No, definitely not. Besides, they're still sleeping… they probably won't wake up until around seven." After seeing my mouth open, he answered the question I hadn't even asked yet. "And _I'm_ awake because I've been hanging around this absolutely mad mortal who has enough gall to hang around a family of vampires, so I'm afraid my sleeping schedule is quite the polar opposite of my family's." He dismissively gave a wave of his hand, heading up the stairs. "A shame, really." Hold the sincerity, heavy on the sarcasm.

I wasn't too concerned that he would dwell on the topic, because as soon as he reached the top of the stairs, he was looking at all of the framed pictures of an unfortunate looking blonde child, who I regrettably admit was me, smirking at all of the scenes that no other life form should have to look at. Coughing uncomfortably, I tried to herd him into my room, "Aaah, yeah, so, I have to do my homework now, so you can play my Game Boy… or Halo, or you can use my computer, or find some other creative outlet that doesn't involve looking at baby photos—"

"You have a computer? Would you teach me?"

* * *

"Tony, I'm bored."

It had taken me an hour just to teach him the basics, and despite knowing that I had only just started tackling the miniature mountain of homework I had been blowing off, Rudolf was already whining like a four year old. What had happened to the maturity of this three hundred and sixty year old? I looked up from sitting cross-legged on my bed, glaring, doing nothing to hide the note of irritation in my voice. "Why don't you Google something?"

He flung his body over part of my desk and pouted, "Because I don't know how… Tony, show me how to do it, I need your help…"

I wanted to snap my pencil. "Good God, when did you become so whiney?"

The kohl brows furrowed low over the ruby eyes, "It just so happens that today, the one day that I can freely walk about, unafraid of the sun, my friend decides that this," he gave a tired, flippant wave of his hand, his chin still resting on the desk, "Homework, or what have you, is the priority."

My jaw dropped a little. He was getting jealous over my homework? _Jealous_, my mind offered again, sending a knotting sensation to my stomach. "Um… I guess I can do it later…?" He sent me a skeptical look, so I shoved my books and papers off the bed and moved over to the couch. "Come on, then. Let's do something."

Grinning, he joined me, and in only a few minutes, we were laughing, yelling, and trying to not get shot in the head.

"So," I started, debating on whether or not I would actually make it across the large, barren field without being shot, "Why are you guys in Scotland? You're all from England, right?"

He hesitated, and peeking at his screen, figured out he was looking for me, and unfortunately, if I didn't run across that big open field, he would end up finding me. "Ah… well, originally, we had heard that our Uncle Von had been picked up by a group of fishermen, but then was stranded somewhere along the Scottish coasts. My mother was very concerned, so we came looking for him."

"And Von is your mother's brother?" Ah, screw it; I was going to die anyway.

Laughing a staccato victory laugh, Rudolf shot my character straight through the head, before shaking his head. "Actually, no; he's my father's younger brother. But it's a rather complicated relationship that my mother, father, and uncle have."

I sighed, waiting impatiently for my Spartan to come back to life. "Does that mean you don't get it or that you don't plan on telling me?"

"Yes."

"Well, that was helpful."

He leaned towards me, nudging my shoulder with his. "You know I would tell you, but I'm not all sure _I_ completely understand it. That aside, it isn't my place to tell you. All I probably should say that this intrigue in their relationship was the source of my uncle's," he lifted his hands, one of them still clutching the controller, so they looked like claws, and grimaced so his teeth were showing. "Problem."

I could feel my eyebrows raise and a smile tug at my lips, and before I knew it I was laughing. "Is that how you feel about this crazy crap you and he go through?" Imitating him, I continued, "You scare the hell out of me the other night and all you can do is this?"

"In all fairness, I told you not to look."

"And I told you I thought you were dying, so sorry for caring. I'll try to be much more apathetic in the future. Maybe your dad can give me some pointers."

He shot me another skeptical look before, again— I had no idea how he kept doing it— he shot me again. "Oh, yes. I can see it now, you and my father, bffs, most definitely."

"Where the hell did you get that?"

"The internet is a fascinating source of random useless information and interesting phrases."

I nodded, still stunned at hearing such a modern phrase come from the vampire. "Yeah, you got that right." When my guy came back to life, it seemed like fate had finally smiled on me, because it had placed me right above Rudolf's Spartan. "Can I ask you something?"

"If you don't shoot me in the head, I think I'll let you ask."

"Stop cheating."

"I'm not cheating, Tony; I'm simply using the entire television screen to my advantage."

Glaring, I turned, smacking him in the arm… which left my hand stinging again, "Is this how you've been killing me this entire time?"

Rudolf smirked, but shook his head. "No, only today. The other night, I found you by instinct."

"That doesn't even make sense. But can I ask you anyways?"

"I suppose."

I took a deep breath and looked down at my hands, stealing a quick glance at the T.V.; by the time I looked up, he was still watching me. Perfect. "How do you feel… about me ruining your no-die streak?" Bam. There went Rudolf.

"What?" He looked confused but then faced the T.V. The strong, pale jaw fell some as he whirled to look at me, tossing the controller aside, and launching himself towards me. I was horrified as I was slung over his shoulder and carried towards the window.

I flailed around, only to have his grip on me tighten. "No, no, no, no, no! Don't drop me, Rudolf! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean—" Well, shit! We were outside and it was drizzling, but instead of taking the fall Rudolf had oh-so gracefully performed on the night we had met, I was placed on the ledge. I blinked.

Rudolf leaned onto the ledge, smiling up at me. "Tony, I don't ever plan on dropping you ever again. I believe what you told me after I dropped you scared me more than I had scared you."

I arched a brow. "Somehow, I seriously doubt that. I _hate_ falling. I don't do rollercoasters, I'm pretty sure if I ever get into an elevator, I'm going to fall to my death, I wanted to kill myself when we were on the airplane over here… I just don't like it."

"Then why do you wake up demanding we go flying?"

My cheeks grew warm, so I looked around, as if there was something that had actually managed to distract me.

"Tony…"

"Wh_aaa_t?" I asked, still not looking at him.

He straightened, walking over in front of me, tapping my knees with his knuckles. "Don't avoid the question… I want to know why."

Looking back to him, I folded my arms, trying to suppress a small shiver. "What is this? Are we playing Twenty Questions or something?"

"I don't know what that is. But if you'd like, sure, we're playing Twenty Questions… now answer mine or I'll shove you off the balcony."

"_What_? I thought you said—"

"Technically, I wouldn't be dropping you."

I hopped off the ledge, back onto the balcony, looking smug.

"Then I'll just pick you up and throw you." He moved in front of the window when I tried to escape back inside. "I will find a million ways around that, so you might as well just answer before you end up free-falling again."

"I'm cold, you jerk, let me inside." I frowned when he shook his head, but nevertheless mumbled out a quick answer.

He held a hand to his ear and smiled. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

In a desperate attempt to get warm, I rubbed my arms furiously, although considering my clothes were pretty much soaked, it did nothing to help. "What the hell? I know you heard what I said, you could freaking hear me whisper! And you can smell me coming; don't tell me you can't understand what I just said! And if you tell me you didn't, that's total bull shit!" I half rammed into him, which is pretty much saying I tried to ram a wall, so in a vain attempt to get him to move, I nudged my forehead against the inner part of his shoulder. "Rudolf, move, I'm freezing out here… let me go inside…" I don't know how long we continued to stand there, but he was not going to move. Part of me wished he was warmer, so being stubborn wouldn't suck so much, but I was getting really, _really_ cold; I sighed. "…_because_…" I finally started, in a small voice, "I had waited all day to see you and when I came home you weren't even there and thinking you would have been there was the only thing that got me through the day, but when you came back, you only wanted to know about that stupid drawing and I knew if I told you what I did at the house, you would have just left… and I wanted to spend time with you…" I took a deep breath. "…now let me inside, asshole."

With that, he finally moved, watching me dive for my towel like it was life support. "…so, tell me, what is this Twenty Questions?"

I glowered at him, who was still standing outside, as I yanked off my shirt, retreating into the closet. "It's just where you have twenty questions to see if you get something right… I guess. But a lot of people just take turns asking each other twenty questions… so, whatever." Thank goodness; I was finally in a pair of dry boxers and flannel pajama bottoms. I smiled as I found my warmest hoodie, rubbing the towel on my head, trying to dry off my hair.

"Did you want to play it then?"

I poked my head out of my closet to see him standing just outside, devoid of his normal clothes— he had kept my boxers?— welcoming the rain like it was Jesus coming back for round two. To my horror, I was blushing again. "Sure. My turn. Why the hell are you standing basically naked on my balcony in the rain?"

"I like the rain. And if my clothes are already wet, then why not without them?"

"Are you using that as your question?"

"I suppose you were using one of yours as well. My turn." Rudolf turned and smiled. "Would you get me something to dry off with? I don't want to soak your room."

I had almost shut the window for him ruining some of our questions, but I couldn't help but smile. "Sure. I'll be right back." Along with grabbing a towel from the bathroom, I went into my parents' room and grabbed some of my dad's sweats; they would probably fit him better than mine would. When I came back to my room, I found him leaning against the window pane, still smiling. I couldn't help but smile too. "What?"

"Was that your question?"

"Sure."

"I find it admirable that you can still admit a weakness and then carry on like it hasn't affected you. That, and I like how you look in your winter clothes. They make you look…" He hesitated, and I was hanging on to every millisecond that passed. "Small."

"_What_?"

The vampire started laughing, shaking his head. "It's true. They look too big on you. But it's an endearing look. You look… cute."

With that final word, I had blushed again, and had thrown the clothes and towel over by the windowsill; I whirled around heading for the hallway. "I'll wait out here for you to change…" _I_ wanted to change… First I look like a boy throwing a tantrum and now I look small and cute? I buried my face in my hands. Oh my God… what the hell was wrong with me?

As I waited, I tried to distract myself; my eyes scanned the pictures on the wall, spying a few with me and groups of friends of the time, and even one with me and Emily. But even as I thought about it, I hadn't felt as close as I did with Rudolf with any of them, even though I had known them for years. Just what exactly was going on? Was it because I had practically fallen into a surreal adventure and now Rudolf was my partner in crime? Oh, Lord… that sounded bad. Trying to turn them human wasn't bad… But then again, I was housing the rest of his family, a hated species, in my basement. Oh, great, I'm like a smuggler. Wasn't it illegal to be one of those? But it was Rudolf… I didn't mind doing that for him. I wanted him to be happy and I'd do whatever to help him. Oh, shit. Did that mean I liked—

"Tony! I'm done. It's my turn, right?" He had opened the door so suddenly it had made me jump, but I managed to grab a hold of myself and nod. "All right." Making his way back to the bed, he flopped stomach-down on it, patting the space beside it. "If you had lived back when I had, would you still want to be friends with me?"

I walked towards the bed, shrugging before I sprawled out besides him. "That's kind of a weird question… I don't know. I mean, I would like to have been. But, if you think about it, if I was in America in the first place, it would have been because I just failed at life or whatever, and I probably wouldn't be able to come back. And even if we managed to come to Scotland, you'd be living it up in your mansion—"

"Manor."

"Yeah, okay, whatever; you'd be living it up over there in England and we never would have met in the first place."

"How pessimistic."

I shrugged again, "Well, it's true." Bouncing my leg over the side of my bed, I stared at the floor, trying to figure out what I was going to be asking. "Ahm…" Oh. "What happened to you?"

Rudolf's eyebrows furrowed together. "What do you mean?"

"What was your trauma?"

It was one of the most drastic facial changes I had ever seen him make. The light in his eye had completely extinguished, there was a very distinct worry line that had etched itself between his brows, and above all, he was frowning.

"Shit, dude. We don't have to talk about it, sorry… I didn't realize it was that bad… sorry. I can ask you about something else." My heart sank a little, seeing him remain the way he was. I reached out, a sad, pathetic attempt at a sympathetic gesture, but he tensed, and I hesitated, my heart dropping even more. "I'm sorry…" I added in a soft voice.

* * *

A few hours later, after nothing but silence, Rudolf finally showed signs of movement. He had stayed on his stomach, staring off at the wall with a hollow look and I was on my side, with my arms tucked under my head, watching him, hoping he would somehow break out of this trance. And at last— thank you, God— he moved; with sad, hopeless eyes, he looked at me, before he moved towards me, grasping my sweatshirt and burying his face in my chest.

"I… I don't want to lose you, too…"

Frowning, I tilted my head down, his black hair tickling my face. Too? What did he mean by that? "You won't lose me. I'll stay and help you become human… and when you become human, I'll still be here." I hugged his shoulders awkwardly, "I'll stay with you as long as you want me too. Why would you think that?" Even as the words left my mouth, I could hear his voice in my head, from earlier, saying how when he had dropped me, my I-Hate-You response left him more scared than I had been.

Rudolf tilted his head up, but that left his lips ghosting against my neck; I shuddered— my neck was the most sensitive spots for soft touches—, doing all I could to suppress a whimper and ignore the wave of arousal that left every part of me tingling. Holy shit. What was wrong with me? I cleared my throat, putting some distance between us.

The vampire continued to scan my flustered face, before raising a single brow and asking "Is that your question?"

"Ahhh, no…" I pulled my legs closer to my body, feeling that my body would continue to betray what I was hoping we could just ignore. "I thought we might have been done with that…"

He blinked with a blank fixation, as if nothing had ever interrupted our game to begin with.

"…um. Well, then… umm… is there anything else you'd like to do, or do you want to keep playing this?"

Rudolf sent me a pointed look.

"Well, okay, then. I asked my question, so now it's your turn."

Reaching out, he pulled me back towards him, "Why did you move away?"

I blushed, turning my face downwards, trying to fight against his iron-tight grip around me. "L-Let me go… I… my neck was… you made it tickle… R-Rudolf…" I couldn't stop squirming; he was so god damned close. _Really_ close. "Nng… _p-please_…"

Immediately, he pulled away eyes wide and questioning, before clearing his throat. "I-I apologize…" He sat up, leaving me plenty of space, before he launched up, off my bed, busying himself looking at the trophies on my shelves. "Tony Thompson," he read, "District Six Champion…"

Think of something else, think of something else— I bit my lip, trying to imagine something to stop my ever growing problem. "Um… um." Yes. Got it. Massive Turn Off Number One: Rudolf's Father. "Your dad and mom…" I swallowed, trying to focus, pulling my legs into my chest. "You're all a-aristocrats, right? So, do you have a last name or title or something?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him nod. "Yes, my father is one of the Lords of Kent, and our last name is Sackville-Bagg."

"Oh…"

For what seemed to be eternity, neither of us said a word; I could see him exploring the contents of my shelf out of the corner of my eye, while I desperately tried to focus on the fact that the man who probably wanted to eat me did, indeed, have a last name. Needless to say, my predicament soon was no longer an issue.

When I felt that I could finally sit up without that part of me demanding to say hello to the world, I cleared my throat, rubbing the back of my neck. "Your turn," I mumbled, glancing over at him.

Returning a cautious glimpse, he turned a little back towards me, but instead of joining me on the bed, he sat at my computer desk, beginning to swivel back and forth in the chair. "How do you think your life would be if you and I had never met…?"

I could have almost groaned; why was it that he could scrutinize the moments we had been together and somehow could figure out my entire life and yet there had been his life… and then the entire three hundred and fifty years that he had been a vampire, I had no clue about? God, yay for feeling so insignificant. "My life would have sucked, Rudolf; what else do you want me to say?" Looking up from my hands, I met his eyes, feeling glad to see the corners of his dark lips turned upwards. Nevertheless, I shot him a playful glare, "And what does that look mean?"

He grinned, "It means I heard what I wanted to hear. And that means our plans for tomorrow have changed."

"What are our plans for tomorrow?"

Holding up a finger, he shook it, chiding "Ah, ah, ah; it's my turn. Let's have a little patience, Tony." The dark-haired vampire scooted the chair closer to the bed, his grin turning into a soft smile. "Tell me about your childhood."

I stuck out my tongue. "That's not a question."

"You're just upset because it isn't your turn to ask yet." He rolled his eyes. "What was your childhood like? _Better_?"

"Oh, yes, _much_." I spun around so I was facing him, my legs still pulled to my chest, just in case. "Once upon a time there was a mommy and daddy and they had a baby boy. They all lived in San Diego. The daddy taught the boy to golf. The boy went to school. The boy made friends. The boy stayed in school. The boy grew up. The boy played some more golf. They moved to Scotland and the boy considered suicide as a reasonable option. Boy met vampire. The end."

Rudolf sat there, unblinking. "Well," he said after a moment, "That was vague."

Smirking, "You didn't ask for details. Now what are we doing tomorrow night?"

"It's a surprise," he murmured, sending unwanted shivers through me. Before I had any time to tell him that whatever the mystery plans were didn't sound compelling, he continued, suddenly somber. "Do you realize that you just told me that you considered taking your life with an unreasonably dull tone?"

"I do—"

"Tony, why would you even consider that?"

Well, this had certainly taken a turn for the worse. "…because…"

Looking unsatisfied, Rudolf shook his head. "You have no idea what that even means, Tony…" Before I knew it, he was back on the bed, my hands locked between his in his iron grip. "Promise me, no matter what, you will never believe that taking your life is an option."

I blinked, my stomach dropping. "I— what does that have—"

"_Promise_ me." Ruby eyes fell away from my face and his voice became noticeably softer. "Didn't I just get through telling you that I would never be able to bear losing you?"

A blush heated my cheeks, as I tried to pull my hands away. "Okay, I promise. I won't… I just… until I met you… things… weren't okay…" I coughed, looking away too. "But I'm fine now… so, let me go, please." When he did, I looked back, placing my hands in my lap. "You realize you asked me two questions… you cheater."

In that instant, the serious air left and he laughed, leaning back on his arms. "I do apologize, by all means, ask your double question."

"Why won't you tell me what we're doing tomorrow?"

"Because it is a surprise."

I rolled my eyes, "Why is it a surprise?"

"Because I am entitled to keep it as such."

"What the hell!"

He smirked. "Ah, that's three questions."

I sighed, smacking his arm with the back of my hand. God damn it, stop doing that, I reminded myself, grimacing as I watched my hand slowly turn a light shade of red.

The vampire began tapping his fingers against the top of my foot, staring at it as if it had suddenly become more interesting than anything I could have managed to say. "Can I ask you something…?"

My eyebrows shot up. "Um, isn't that kind of the point of the game?"

Letting out a short chuckle, he nodded. "I do suppose. But, what I would like to ask is do you think we could ever—" Breaking my rapt attention, his head snapped up, glaring at the door. "Go back to bed."

"Wha—"

There was a short knock on the door before Anna stuck her head in. "Ah, here you are, Tony, dearest!" Before I knew it, she had joined us on the bed, and had flung her arms around me. "It's so good to see you again. You are so kind for letting us stay in your house."

When she released me, I glanced at Rudolf who was looking murderous. "You're welcome…" I mumbled, studying the siblings in front of me; Anna was now sending her brother a particularly stunning grin, but Rudolf still looked beyond furious.

"Why are you up, Anna?"

She shrugged, "I've been awake for a while now and boredom soon set in, so I thought I would come find you two." Still smiling, she laid her hand on her brother's knee, which turned into mocking gesture as she spoke, her eyes taunting. "What were you saying, brother dearest?"

Rudolf's fists clenched and for a moment I thought he might hit her. "It's none of your business, sister darling," he growled.

"Oh, but it's plenty of my business, although I highly doubt your ability to ask that question."

"And why is that?" He asked in the same dark, low voice.

"Because if you can't forgive yourself over what you've done to _him_, then anything you hope to accomplish will only add to your guilt."

It looked as if Anna was suddenly one-upping Rudolf, because his jaw dropped and his face darkened, and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why. I didn't even know what they were talking about. Were they still talking about me…? Or… what? "Um… sorry to interrupt, but—"

There was another knock, but this time it was at my window. I saw Mr. and Mrs. Sackville-Bagg— or Lord and Lady, _my bad_, vampire Lords— standing on the balcony in the rain, while behind them I could make out a vague figure of another, and I assumed, with a shudder, it must be Gregory. Their mother opened the window, stepping inside and grinning, obviously unaware she was making a large puddle on my floor. "Tony! It's so good to see you with my children; I hope they had their manners about them."

"Ah, yeah…"

"I apologize for interrupting, but we would like to leave before your parents get home so we can find a home of our own." She motioned for Anna and Rudolf to join them. "Come, come, you two; we mustn't press upon our gracious host," she said, smiling again at me.

Anna stood up, giving my shoulder a light squeeze before she joined her mother. "Good bye, Tony, darling."

Rolling his eyes, Rudolf reluctantly obeyed; I couldn't help but admitting I thought he looked better in just sweats among his family in their Victorian garb. As his mother and Anna stepped out onto the balcony, he lingered by the window, smiling. "Don't forget our plans tomorrow."

"I can't forget them if I don't what they are."

"Wonderful," he grinned.

And with that, they had all gone… leaving a massive puddle on my floor right next to my power cords. _Shit_! I jumped out of bed, grabbing all the towels I found from earlier, and threw them on the puddle, scooping my laptop off my desk and cradling it protectively in my arms. Managing to shut the window, I returned to my bed, trying to grab my homework off of the floor.

But, _ugh_; homework. Reminding myself that it was something I had to do, I forced myself to open the book and start again. But even as I finished the fourth question, my mind fell back to the conversation the vampire siblings had started earlier. Who was 'him'? Was that me? Or were they talking about some one else? And then, if that was the case, did it have to do what Rudolf had said even before that? About him losing some one else?

I coughed as I felt myself blush, that had been right before… I shivered, but it wasn't because I was cold.

There had been so much that had taken place today… My mind ran over all that had happened, trying to tie loose ends; there were so many things that could have happened… so many things he could have said. _Do you think we could ever_… what? Could we what? Continue with our plans tomorrow? We could go flying again? We could… _augh_! God! This was so frustrating! I fell backwards, so I was glaring up at the ceiling.

However, my door opened and my mom called, "Knock, knock." As she came in, she looked me over, her lips pulling up in a smile. "Are you having trouble with your homework?"

I shrugged. "A little. I thought you weren't supposed to be home until—" I looked at the clock; shit, had I really wasted two hours by just thinking about today? "Oh… um. All right, never mind. How was your day?"

"Well, it was interesting to say the least. Have you got a lot of homework done?"

I just laughed.

"Then what'd you do today, Mr. Lazybones?"

"Rudolf came over for a while."

My mom smiled. "Oh, good! But I guess he already went home?" When I nodded, she continued. "Too bad, though. I still want to meet him."

"I'm sure you'll meet him eventually."

Not looking completely satisfied, she sighed. "Yeah, why don't you invite him over some time, you know, when we're home?"

"Sure thing, mom."

"Well, I guess I'll let you get back to doing your homework."

When she left, I rolled over, hugging a pillow to my chest. Ugh, there was no way I could do my homework; I'd only end up getting distracted again. I yawned, maybe I could take a nap or something before we had dinner, and then I could just do my homework after that. As I laid there, letting the pillow absorb my body heat, I couldn't help imagining his face as he sat in front of me, the tips of his fingers tapping an unknown rhythm against my foot. _Do you think we could ever_… _fall in love_, my drowsy mind finished, failing to invoke any sense of panic or objection; and as I thought that, I couldn't help but smile as I buried my face in the pillow, falling into sleep.


	7. You've Changed Him

A/N:

Woo. At least one good thing comes from being stranded at college for Labor Day weekend. D|

…well, technically, I was supposed to have this up Labor Day weekend… haha, but, well, I got a really bad case of Writer's Block, so sorry, guys.

Oh.

If you'd all do the wonders of forgetting that Anna is supposed to be younger than Rudolf, that'd be fabulous. Because in my version— I know, blasphemy— Rudolf is the baby. So, basically, Greg's "twenty-five", Anna's "twenty-four", and as we all know, Rudolf is "nineteen".

And Hadrian… yes, it's a real name. Hadrian's Wall in Great Britain. Mhm. No, it wasn't him who built it. I'm just throwing it out there that I've decided his pappy just really liked Hadrian, and therefore named his baby boy Hadrian. The end! Haha, shortest back-story everrr. :D

* * *

**Monday**

When I woke up, it wasn't to my mom shaking me awake for dinner, but rather to a loud crash of thunder. I sat up, trying to get my focus on the world— my glasses must be lost in the depths of my bed… somewhere.

I rubbed my eyes, trying to ignore the growling of my stomach. Geez, when were we going to— …holy hell. I had managed to sleep through dinner and I was supposed to wake up in twelve minutes. This sucked. After running my hands through my hair, with dismay, I spotted all the papers and books left on the end of my bed; groaning, I forced myself out of bed, and slowly made my way towards the bathroom.

After my shower, I wandered back into my room, taking my time getting ready. While putting on my shirt, I couldn't help feel like my window was beckoning me towards it. I stood there, wondering if Rudolf's family ever found a place to live; if they hadn't I'm sure they totally weren't enjoying the weather. And Rudolf… was he awake? I wondered what he was doing, wishing it was already night time; I had so much I wanted to ask him. Even now his unfinished question was still echoing in my mind. Do you think we could ever—

BANG. "Good morning!"

"_Jesus Christ_, mom!" I had jumped, and had inadvertently hit my forehead against the window pane when she had flung open my door. I rubbed my forehead furiously trying to make the ache go away, "You know there are better ways to go about that?"

She laughed, seemingly unaware of what she had just caused. "Well, I had to make sure you were awake. You didn't even come down for dinner, I was surprised actually."

I glared. "Because I thought you would have got me."

"What happened, Tony?" She asked, a teasing note in her voice. "I thought you were capable of waking up on your own."

"Well, okay, whatever. Is breakfast ready? Because I'm starving…"

* * *

I had managed to devour the entire plate of pancakes before I was hauled out the door, my mother unsympathetic to my incomplete homework. At least when I had got to school, there was no one standing by the entry waiting to haul my tired ass to the middle of the soccer field to beat me up. Maybe Rudolf's warning was enough for them to leave me alone for a while.

With that thought in mind, I smiled, entering the classroom; I was met with the sight of Nigel nudging Flint's arm with a horrified desperation, their eyes flickering to my face before they looked back down at the desk.

Aha. Homework problem solved.

"Good morning, girls."

They mumbled something back along the lines of 'please don't hurt us'; this, of course, only made me smile more.

I took my seat, leaning far over their desk. "You see, my weekend was spent with my good ol' buddy," I paused watching them flinch. "So, I haven't had much time to do my homework—" I hadn't even managed to finish my sentence and they had thrust their homework folders at me. "Well, thanks, guys."

To that extent was how my day was— toying with the twins, catching up on my unfinished homework— although half of their answers, I think, were wrong— and just trying to wait out the horror which was school. During lunch, I meandered into the library, recalling that I had promised a family of vampires that I'd help them figure out whose crest that lady had. It was surprising actually, to see just how long the row of books dedicated solely to history, family diaries, and crests was. Although, what exactly was I supposed to be expecting? America was just over two-hundred years old, and Scotland— the UK— _Europe_— had been around for much, much longer. I just had never really thought about it before; it blew my mind.

From the look on her face, it pretty much blew my librarian's mind too; except maybe it was because I looked practically dazed, carrying an armload of books about Scotland's history and crests. Apparently there was no such project going on to her knowledge.

And apparently, when the American boy comes to class with that many books, it's clearly time for a discussion as to why he has so many books of a culture he could really care less about. So, I just ignored them as I flipped complacently through one of them, hoping I could remember what exactly her crest looked like; there were stags… but, I couldn't even remember the rest. I'd have to ask— _ugh_, I shuddered— Lord Sackville-I-Hate-Tony-Thompson-Bagg… awesome.

My rest of my day— through class, on the way home, through homework— consisted of looking through those never-ending books; I looked at them for so long, I was beginning to think there was no way in hell we'd ever get around to finding it. What if she wasn't even Scottish? All of the crests were starting to look the same, anyways, what did it matter?

"Tony?"

I looked up from flipping a page and shoving another slice of pizza into my mouth. "Whaf?"

"Why the sudden interest with family history?" My mom asked, taking a sip of her water.

My dad snorted, trying to balance a slice and his architectural designs without letting the two meet. "Whatever it is, it's better than obsessing with vampires."

I shot him a glare.

"Bob!"

"Oh, right, whatever; _sorry_."

Rolling my eyes, I swallowed, taking another quick glance at the book before looking to my mom. "It's not really an interest. It's for… school. But it is kind of interesting, just because these families have been around about five times longer than the United States," I threw in, in hopes of throwing her from the pause I had created earlier.

She smiled. "You're right; isn't it just amazing?"

I nodded, leafing through a few more pages of the book.

"Well, sweetie, why don't you hold off on that, so you don't end up getting pizza all over it, like your father is going to do…"

I looked up just in time to see the slice of cheese pizza tumble out of my dad's hand and land on his blueprints, leaving pizza sauce and grease markings in its wake.

"_Shit_—"

"_Bob_!"

"All right, woman; _sorry_!"

"Robert Keith Thompson, you did _not_ just call me 'woman'!"

Trying to stifle a laugh, I grabbed another piece of pizza and scooped up my books. "I'll let you two work this out." I chewed on the end of it as I headed up the stairs, mulling over just how ridiculous it was for the things they would get into little quarrels about; it always seemed so silly— like my dad calling mom woman, or when my mom would leave the newspaper on the couch rather than the kitchen table. A smile managed to tug on my lips as I entered my room, only to be met by a pair of ruby eyes.

"Tony!" Rudolf practically yelled.

"Holy shit!" For the second time today, I had a surprise induced mini-seizure, and managed to toss my book.

The vampire laughed, bending over to retrieve the fallen book, although his laughter stopped when he saw what was inside. "You really are helping us search…" He murmured, flipping through a few pages.

I scoffed, hitting one side of the _Great Families of Scotland*_, so that it closed. "Of course I am. I said I was going to help you become human and I plan on following through, thanks." Taking the book from his hand, I walked over and set it on my desk so that it joined the ranks of the others. "Oh, I was wondering, did you guys ever find a new place to stay?" As I turned around, I found myself wrapped in a tight hug. "Ahm…?"

He released me. "Sorry. That was from my mother; she thanks you from the bottom of her heart. I wish I could say my father shared her sentiments, however we all know how doubtful that is. But, nevertheless, yes, we have found a place to stay," he motioned to a small pile of gray. "And I've brought back the clothes you let me wear yesterday."

"Oh, yeah, that's cool."

With a slight tilt of his head, he grinned, "Are you ready for tonight?"

My eyes widened. "What are we doing?" I couldn't help but wonder what it was, considering it was one of the few things I had been thinking about over the course of the day. There was so much I had come up with, but they were all lost as my gaze focused on his lips, waiting for him to form the words I was dying to hear.

Rudolf's mouth opened, then closed, much to my dismay, before finally, "Tony…"

Distraught, I met his eyes. Wait. We were doing me? I blushed, trying to shake the thought. "What?"

"It's my birthday today. I am officially three hundred and sixty nine." He smiled, but it didn't look as if he was happy.

"Dude, what! You should have told me sooner, so I could have gotten you a present!"

At my comment, his smile became more sincere. "Oh, no, I wouldn't have that. You've already done so much for me; it should be _I_ giving _you_ gifts. Which, leads me to tonight."

"What are we doing?" Oh, sweet Lord, please say something other than my name again. I don't think I'd be able to handle that a second time.

"We're flying down to Edinburgh," he said, now grinning. "I wanted to go to London, but we tried to do that for Anna's last birthday, and that took far too long."

I shot him a skeptical look. "What are we going to do in Edin…" Even after a month of listening people rave about what they did in Edinburgh on the weekend, I still couldn't pronounce it right. "Whatever."

"Anna, you, and I will of course go to parties. My parents need to visit some of the other vampire families that live there, so they won't be with us."

It didn't escape my attention that he failed to mention what Gregory would be doing, but, considering that he scared me anyways, I was totally okay with that. "You mean like clubbing?"

He blinked, not answering.

"Oh, right, yeah…" I held up my hands, shaking my head. "It's called clubbing now… but…" I looked at my alarm clock. "It's already seven forty… doesn't it take like three hours to get there? And then it'll be like three hours partying and three hours back? That's really early, Rudolf, that's like five in the morning… I don't know if I can…" Motioning to the books on my desk, I sighed. "I have to help you guys find that, I mean the comet comes, what, Saturday? And I have so much homework, I didn't really even finish the homework I had from yesterday…"

His face fell, "You aren't going to come with us?"

Okay, damn homework, damn finding the crest, and damn everything else that would keep me away from him. "I don't know… I don't really think I can; I already told you I have a lot to do, plus I have school tomorrow. I mean, I really, really want to… I just… I don't know if I should."

"Oh, yes, of course…" Rudolf's lips pressed into a hard, thin line until he sighed. "I understand. I should have let you know earlier." He turned back towards the window, stepping out onto the balcony. "I should… I should go now, I suppose I can't keep my family waiting."

"Rudolf…" I whined, following after him, tugging on the back of his shirt. "Don't be like that."

Glancing over his shoulder, he shot me a look before looking out over the lawn. "Like what?"

I stood next to him, frowning, "The way you're acting… I'm sorry; I really am. I want to come—"

"Then come with us."

"But I can't."

Rudolf then tried to pick me up and carry me off, but I flailed around, trying to shove him away from me; he wouldn't budge. Why were vampires this stubborn?

"Rudolf… really, I can't. Let me go."

He placed both of his hands on my head, leaning down so that his forehead touched mine. "Tony…" He gave a defeated sigh, but smiled nonetheless. "It's… all right."

I stared back into ruby eyes, my eyebrows raised, as I skeptically asked, "It's all right? Really…?"

A curt laugh was the initial answer; "Of course it's not all right. I'm drawn to you, Tony Thompson. I find myself at a loss when I don't see you. I abhor the thought of losing you to homework and a restful evening… but I _understand_."

Already, I was blushing, but as he finished the sentence, he leaned in towards me, and in a heart stopping, wonderfully mind-numbing moment, I thought he was going to kiss me. With my stomach dropping, he ruffled my hair, pulling away.

"I hope you can excuse my pessimism, but the comet comes in six days, and as much faith as I have in all of us, I highly doubt things will go as well as we all hope… so, have no fear, I'll have another birthday, and you can make it up to me then." He hopped up onto the balcony wall, giving a brief wave of his hand. "Take care, Tony. Until the night."

And with that, he was gone.

What. The. Hell. I turned, ducking back inside, yanking the curtains closed before I flung myself on the bed, immediately yelling into my pillow. What the hell! He was going to kiss me! I didn't know what was worse— that he didn't or that I wanted him to. Holy shit! How was I even going to be able to focus on my homework now? Bull shit that he was just going to take this with a simple good-bye. I bet he did this on purpose. A nice little move— or lack of one, I wanted to scream— to set me off, to keep me thinking for hours. Hell, I'd probably be up until five in the morning, anyways, trying to force myself to write all the damned homework, but _nooooo_, because he knew. Jesus, he probably knew. Even if he didn't know, he probably used his stupid vampire powers or something…

Who _does_ that? I rolled over, glowering at my ceiling. Stupid manipulative vampire. Now I'd go with him. I'd go with him in a heartbeat. But, no. I had homework. I had to sleep. Of course, yay me with my stupid human needs. I groaned, forcing myself off the bed, towards my desk; I better start pretending that I can get something done… Sighing, I opened one of the crest books, and practically jumped out of my seat and to the window when I heard a soft tapping.

"I thought you said I could make it up to you next year—" I had pulled back the curtains and my jaw fell as I saw Anna standing there in one of the tightest little black clubbing dresses I think the world might have ever created. It hit the lower part of her thighs where black tights continued on, disappearing into black heels. _Wow_. And for whatever reason, she managed to pull off a high class sexy rather than an easy whore— maybe it's one of those weird vampire gifts…

"Tony dearest, whatever is the matter?"

I shook myself from my thoughts, letting her step into my room. "Oh, I just thought you were Rudolf…"

"Don't be surprised, I only want you to have this." She handed me a handkerchief— although I had no idea as to where she had been keeping it— and watched me smile uncertainly.

Slowly, I lifted one of the edges to reveal a preserved medium, brownish-gray mouse. I looked at her for a moment before looking back to the mouse. "Um… thanks, I think?"

"It's from the old country," she explained as she sat on the end of my bed, grinning at my obvious lack of appreciation for this three-hundred year old rodent. "It will bring you luck. And if you ever need me—" she coughed lightly, correcting herself, "_Us_, just whistle. You know how to whistle, don't you?"

I nodded, puckering my lips together, letting out a pathetic airy exhale of air. …okay, so I thought I knew how to whistle. I sat down next to her and sighed.

Anna let out a soft chuckle, letting out the most amazing sound I had ever heard; it wasn't very loud, but it was long and it left my ears ringing.

"_Damn_, you mean I have to whistle like that if I ever need you guys?" After she shrugged, I pushed it out of my mind. "Okay, so, you and I both know that you aren't just here to give me a dead mouse. I thought you were supposed to be clubbing with Rudolf."

She gave another causal shrug as she began toying with the ends her blonde hair. "I am. He was over here, wasn't he?" She didn't wait for me to answer, "He probably is on his way home, he'll change into something more appropriate and start to wonder where I am…" The blonde vampire gave a flippant wave of her hand, continuing. "Then I suppose he'll ask mother, and she'll tell him I'm here, and before you know it, he'll be here, having a positive fit finding you and I alone. _So_," she grinned, "We must get this over with as soon as we possibly can. Do you understand?"

"Uh… sure?" And it was then that I wasn't very sure about anything we were about to talk— or not talk— about.

"You should not be involved with our family, Tony."

I blinked. "Um, what?"

"There are so many things you don't know about us— not to say that I don't want you to be with us, because I think you've done our family a world of good—… the way our family does business… we are not the safest group of people for you to be around." She waited me for to object, to react, or anything, I guessed, but I said nothing and she sighed. "I am sure you are already aware of my father's dislike for you, and, I'm afraid, Gregory does not think very highly of your association with us. My mother and I are concerned for your safety."

"Don't you think that I am fully aware of all the crap that might happen if something— anything— bad was to happen? I get that, Anna. And I don't care. I want to help you guys become human again."

For a while, she studied me, before giving a sad smile and nodding. "Very well, then. Then there are things you should know."

"Like what?"

"There are many, many things…" She leaned towards me, slipping my glasses off my face before gently placing her palm over my eyes so her fingers rested against my forehead.

Everything was black.

But then, through the eyes of who I assumed to be Anna, I could see a pair of boys fighting with wooden swords, before the sight returned to a rosebush where thin, pale fingers coaxed little buds away from the smothering thorns and overpowering blooming roses.

"Ow! Anna, ow!" She turned and I spied a little Rudolf running away from his older brother into the arms of his sister, who glared at Gregory. I could feel him as if I were her, his little crying, shaking body, clinging onto his arm; I think part of my heart broke.

"I told you to not hit him that hard, Gregory! Look, you made him bleed!" The twelve year old Anna chided.

Gregory folded his arms over his chest, rolling his eyes. "You cannot baby him, Anna! He needs to feel pain and suffering, so he can learn to conquer that and become a man!"

"He's _seven_, Gregory!"

I heard Anna's voice through the vision: _Even though we were the children of a Lord and we had plenty of servants at our disposal, we often found it was easier to just be with each other. We had become our own little family because our own parents were too busy socializing with other aristocrats. It was only when we all changed they found themselves with nothing to do but tend to their children, but, I'm afraid that's another story for another time_.

The world around me slowly faded and it was suddenly alive with music, laughter, and dancing. Anna was in the midst of several young men, all hoping to persuade her into a dance. With causal indifference, she just laughed, lifting a champagne class to her lips before someone touched her shoulder. She turned, her eyes alight, "Ah, Gregory, dear."

He shot a half-lidded look to those around her, and grinned with slight contempt, "'m sorry, ge-gentlemen, but I would like a word with m' sister."

_When Gregory was old enough, he and a few of his close school friends went off to Cambridge, to study at the university. He and his dear friend Benjamin came home for the first time when he was twenty; Benjamin's parents were so pleased, they threw a grand ball and, of course, we were all invited._

_I could tell from the way Gregory spoke and acted, he had more than his fair share to drink, but I could not fathom just all that would happen when he steered me out into the courtyard, asking for me to accompany him on his walk…_

"So, dear brother, where exactly are we going?"

"F' a walk, sister, darling…"

They continued walking, her arm laced through his, further and further away from the brightly lit manor. Anna, who probably sensed something wasn't quite right, often glanced over her shoulder, clearly longing to go back to the party. As she was looking, I could feel fingertips glazing over her skin, before she was shoved roughly against a tree.

"G-Gregory?"

I shuddered under Anna's hand; this wasn't new, he had already tried to do this to me in the graveyard. I completely understood the horror of what she had gone through.

She struggled to get her brother away from her, but I could feel skin being exposed to the cool night air, and in panic, she began crying, begging him to stop. "P-Please, Gregory… s-stop…"

"Anna!"

For a brief moment, they stopped their struggling and their pursuing and turned; my heart fell. Oh, God, no. Don't let him come any closer. Rudolf stood, mouth agape, staring at the horror in front of him.

"Gregory! What in God's name are you doing to Anna? Get off of her!" The young Rudolf rushed to his sister's aid, trying to yank his brother off. "Let her go!"

Gregory shoved Anna aside, and she stumbled away, finally hitting the ground as her heel caught on a tree root. The dark-haired, twenty year old whirled around, grabbing Rudolf roughly by the collar. "Do you have a problem, brother?" He hissed into Rudolf's ear, pinning him against a much larger tree.

I watched in horror as Rudolf's eyes widened as his brother's fist connected with his stomach, not just once but several times before I watched a trail of blood emerge from the corner of his mouth. _Stop it_, I wanted to yell.

"Are you s' des'p'rate t' save her that you are willing t' take her place?"

Clothes were torn from him and he cried, trying to look for Anna, as Gregory began raking Rudolf's now partially naked body with his nails. "A-Anna! Help me, please!" He twisted around, but he was no match for the older boy.

"P-Please, Gregory, p-please, please stop… Anna… help me, Anna… A-A— _ahhhhh_!"

"This 's what 's like t' play hero, little brother."

* * *

I yanked away from Anna's hand with such desperation, the back of my head collided with the wall. "Wh— …you… why… you didn't help him?" I yelled, anger and rage boiling inside of me.

Anna wasn't smiling. "Both he and I punished myself enough for that, Tony."

Despite her words, my heart was still breaking. Was that his trauma?

"He was only fourteen when that happened… he didn't speak to me for three years. He rarely spoke to anyone and we hardly ever saw him. When he was seventeen, the first chance he got, he left for Oxford. I feared he would never come home and I would never be able to forgive myself. But then he did… he came home." She looked at me tentatively, holding her hand up. When I nodded, she covered my eyes again.

Through black I could hear a voice, "Lady Anna," it called.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Master Rudolf has returned home and has requested an audience with you in the ballroom."

Her head snapped up from a book, which she quickly flung aside. She rushed out of the room, down into the ballroom where she could hear voices. "Rudolf?" She called, giving a hasty curtsy as she entered.

Before she knew it, arms were around her— arms that I was rapidly becoming acquainted with— twirling her around. "Ah, my dear sister! How I've missed you, please forgive me for what wrong I may have caused, because there is no need to fret," He set her down gently, placing a soft kiss on her forehead, "Because I forgive you."

The sheer shock of the moment had left her crying and clinging to her younger brother, and for a moment, I wondered why he would give her that, but it was Rudolf… not to say that I knew him well enough to know he would do that, but, it seemed like he would.

There was a temporary fade to black before Anna sat facing two young men, Rudolf, looking much like he did now, and a honey blonde young man. Rudolf looked completely at ease, a slight smile playing with the corners of his mouth. The stranger simply looked contented to be there, waiting patiently for some one to say something.

"I really do beg your pardon. I did not mean to cause such an outburst, I was unaware we had a guest." Anna said softly, looking down at her hands.

He hummed, before giving a dismissive wave to his hand, "Nonsense, it was a touching moment. I apologize for catching you off guard," he smacked Rudolf in the arm. "I told him to write home and inform you all he and I were coming, but," he turned, half glaring, half grinning, "Rudolf insisted that it remain a surprise."

"I also apologize, but you are…?"

"Oh," Rudolf, finally said, as if forgetting none of this had happened, "May I introduce—"

"I am quite capable of introducing myself, I am not at home, so let us please forget for a day that I need an introduction." He leaned forward, extending his hand. "Hadrian. Hadrian Winthrop of Essex; pleased to make your acquaintance, Lady Anna."

Tentatively, Anna let him kiss her hand before looking pointedly at him. "You are, by chance, the same Hadrian Winthrop whose father—?"

Again, the blonde gave a dismissive wave of his hand, "Yes, yes, that would be me, but I would like to request that we ignore that while I stay. Would that suit you, my Lady?"

"Whatever his Lord wishes."

"Ah, ah. Hadrian, please."

Things faded to black. Already, I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be a big fan of Hadrian.

"Anna, darling, what on earth are you doing?"

Anna turned so she saw her mother, standing in the doorway, but turned back to the window she was sitting at, looking down on the courtyard where the two young men were. They sat under a large tree, surrounded with a few books, leaning up against the trunk.

Rudolf would grin and lean over, whispering something that would make his companion smile, the kind of smile that lit up his face. He was a little shorter than Rudolf, and had his honey blond hair pulled back at the nape of his neck, making a small pony-tail. The blonde nudged Rudolf's arm so that Rudolf leaned in closer, and whispered something back, which left the dark haired boy flustered and blushing, and me relatively annoyed. I wish Anna would pick a different memory.

"I am so glad he has found a friend at the University. That Hadrian boy seems to be doing wonders on our Rudolf."

"Yes… it seems that way, mother."

* * *

I pulled away, glowering. "Is there a point to this?"

However, this time, there was a smile on her lips. "Yes, Tony, I think you've given this a truly valid point. And as much as I wish it didn't, it relieves me."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Shh! We have no time for talking, Rudolf's probably on his way back over here by now." Without any warning, she smacked me into another vision.

"Anna, I don't see why we're doing this…"

_Hush, my love, I'm showing you something important!_

My love? Okay, then.

A faint scent of burning wood filled my nose, and then I could feel Anna's arm looped through someone else's. Another hand gently brushed her shoulder. "It will be all right…" The familiar voice chanted.

I noticed now, they were pressed up against a wall, and Rudolf was clasping a sword, protectively standing in front of Anna, closer to the door.

"What happens if they come, Rudolf?"

"It will be all right, no matter what happens… keep faith, Anna."

Anna jumped as a part of the floor above them gave out, sending a little piece of raging fire into the room. She clung tighter to Rudolf, burying her face in his arm. "Rudolf," she hissed, "I can hear them coming…"

"I know, I know… but it will be all right." He gently pulled away from her, positioning himself at an angle. "I just need to react. As soon as they come in, I have to fight. There's no second thoughts— I will protect you, Anna, trust me."

There was banging on the door— Anna shut her eyes— before finally, there was a loud crash.

"To your death, vampire!"

There was a sickening slurp of blood, before a vicious coughing fit. "R-… Rudolf…"

Panic rose up into both Anna and I. Holy shit. He didn't. Please, God, don't let that be his trauma, please, don't let it be him…

"Ha-Hadrian!"

Anna's eyes flew open, just in time to see Rudolf fall to his knees, grasping Hadrian's arms, sword clattering to the floor. She pressed her hand to her mouth; I could feel the overwhelming need to cry swell inside her.

_Tony, you're crying…_

"That's because you're crying, damn it…"

_He loved him. He told me later that Hadrian got him over hating me… Hadrian helped him move on and become happy… this tragedy is his trauma._

"Why… i-it's so unfair…" I watched, my heart breaking again as I watched Rudolf slowly break into pieces, holding onto the blonde, begging him softly— I could hardly hear him over the now roaring fire— for him to forgive him, he was so sorry, he didn't know that he was there… don't go…

"Let me die with you, I beg of you, do not leave me here alone…"

Hadrian smiled, his eyebrows furrowed as he reached up, his fingertips brushing Rudolf's cheek. "Do not s-say such… things… Promise me, you will never consider taking your life is an option…"

"Ha—"

"_Promise me_."

Well, that sounded familiar. No wonder he was that adamant about not letting me kill myself.

Rudolf nodded, letting a laughing sob escape him. "H-How is it… that you… you're dying…. and you still…" He cradled the blonde closer, "You still can be such a demanding ass…"

Smiling, "B-Because… I love you and I-…" he coughed, blood bubbling between his lips. "I… I want… to… see you live…" He pressed a chaste kiss to Rudolf's lips, smiling. "P-Please live… I love you, Ru…" Hadrian coughed again, his hand falling back down to his side. "I love you, Rudolf…"

* * *

I pulled away, rubbing my eyes, although the inner feeling of just needing to sob wouldn't go away. "Why… why did it happen?" I asked, trying to swallow the lump rising in my throat.

She shrugged, holding her arms open.

I found myself hugging her, her cold skin cooling my heated face.

Anna ran her fingers through my hair as I felt the tears finally give way, onto her shoulder. "Shhh, shh, it's all right. Hadrian's father was the Lord of Essex, one who publically denied following Oliver Cromwell, and actually had a great part in helping Charles the Second to safety. However, when our father heard about this, of course he wanted to meet him. The Winthrops stayed in our second home for a time. Not that Rudolf nor Hadrian minded in the slightest. Yet, I'm not sure how it came to be, a vampire managed to get into the Winthrop Manor while our parents and Gregory were visiting. Some of the servants managed to escape, and they came to warn us… however, our household was already in panic because lightning had struck our house and it was rapidly catching fire." She hesitated, holding me just a little tighter. "Hadrian also managed to escape, however, mother, father, and Gregory were changed… Hadrian's parents were killed. And he ran… he ran all the way to tell us what had happened. All of it was such a big misunderstanding…"

"I-It's so un-unfair, Anna… he was s-so happy."

"I know, Tony." A curt, bitter laugh escaped her, despite the trembling in her voice, "And even then, when I had finally managed to coax Rudolf outside, we were only met with this fate…"

We stayed that way for what seemed to be an eternity; I wanted to go with them now. I didn't care if I was tired tomorrow. I had pulled all nighters before, so why would this be any different?

I sat up when I remembered something. "Oh my God, Anna. Yesterday, when you interrupted him in the middle of that question… you were talking about Hadrian? Oh, holy hell, please tell me you did not actually say that to him. How could you do that to him?"

She looked at me, frowning some, trying to wipe away the rogue tears that fell from ruby eyes. "Because it was true, Tony. If he can't forgive himself, it will only make him feel guilty." Her voice became serious, as she took my hands in hers. "Can you even fathom what he was going ask you? He wants to be with you, Tony. For the first time in three hundred and fifty years, for the _first time_ since then, he is happy. He loves you. You are all he talks about. His face lights up every time he tells us he's going to see you. You have changed him, Tony."

My cheeks were warm, and the overwhelming feeling of sadness was replaced by with anticipation and excitement. "What? Are you sure?"

"Yes, Tony, _yes_. He's acting like he did around Hadrian; he's truly happy and he's truly in love. That's why I couldn't let him ask you. Because I couldn't bear watching him fall to pieces again. And now that I've shown you this, I've seen you cry… I know you love him too. Maybe it's not as monumental for you, but I feel reassured. I feel relieved." Her smile faltered some as she let go of my hands. "I hate it, though. I seem to have fallen for you too, but I want him to be happy. He deserves it. So, please, Tony Thompson, please don't hurt my brother."

I was left slightly gaping. This was all too much. "What? How can you just—"

"Tony?" Rudolf was at the window, dressed in a pair of jeans, a black button-up top, with a few left unbuttoned, and a white vest. Damn. Damn, damn, _damn_. "Anna?" His eyebrows rose. "Have you both been crying?"

I launched myself towards the vampire, flinging my arms about him momentarily, before pulling away. "Um, um," I sniffed, rubbing my eyes. "I want to come with you."

Forgetting his question, his face lit up. "You do? Oh, Tony, I'm so glad." He looked to Anna, beaming. "You've convinced him to come… thank you, Anna."

"Anything for you." She smiled back, dabbing at her eyes.

"Hold on, I'm gonna go change and let my parents know that I'm going to bed…" With a new found feeling tingling through me, I left the vampire's side, running downstairs and skidding into the kitchen. It looked as if my parents' fight was finally over, because they both sat there, talking in soft voices, drinking after-dinner coffee, my father's hand resting on my mother's on the table.

"I think I'm gonna go to bed. Those books are so tiring."

My mom glanced over at me. "Good night, honey. Sleep well."

"G'night, Tony." My dad said, smiling.

I couldn't help smile a little too. "Good night." As quickly and quietly as I could, I made my way upstairs, and back into my room. I saw the two of them waiting on my balcony, and I ducked into my closet. What was I going to wear? What did people wear clubbing? Shit. I wasn't even eighteen yet. "Hey, Rudolf?"

"Yes?"

"Is me being seventeen going to matter?"

This time, it was Anna. "No, Tony, dear, we're friends of the club owner and they know we're bringing you, so it's fine."

Well… that took care of one problem. "Shit."

No sooner had I uttered the word, Anna was at my closet door, beaming. "Let me guess, Tony, dearest… because you've never been to a club, you haven't the slightest idea what to wear…" She waited for me to nod, although I think she already knew what the answer was, "Have no fear, I will help you solve this." The blonde vampire went rifling through my closet, occasionally tossing things to me.

"What…?"

"Put them on."

"I didn't even think I still had these things… I don't want to wear them."

She rolled her eyes, "Wear them and my brother and I won't be the only ones who think you're attractive."

"_Out_," I hissed, shoving her out of my closet, blushing even harder when she started laughing. When I had shut myself inside, I sighed, looking at the clothes in my hand. Emily had drug me to the mall, where she coerced me into buying them— she had gone through a scene phase and had taken me with her. Black skinny jeans? Tight blue shirt? Egh, I was going to look ridiculous. But, what did I know? I'd never gone to a club before… Sighing again, I stripped, pulling on the skinny jeans. _Jesus Christ_— there was no room— for _anything_. I shuddered, _ahhh_, this was so weird feeling!

There was a soft tap on the door. "How's it coming Tony?"

"Well, for starters, I hate your choices."

Anna laughed. "That's quite all right. Just so you know, before we leave, I want to do your hair, too."

"How the hell do you know so much about all of this?"

She just laughed again.

Reluctantly, I pulled the shirt on, frowning. It was tight too. I opened the door with a grimace, now partially afraid of the grin Anna was giving me.

"Perfect!" She grabbed my arm, ushering me out of the closet and towards my bed where a mass of hair-styling items lay. Where the hell did they all come from? "Now, hold your breath." Grabbing a can of hairspray, she looked mildly annoyed that I hadn't done what she had said, so she slapped her hand over my mouth and nose, spraying my head with an over-zealous amount of hairspray. Before I had a chance to protest, she began raking a comb through my hair, brushing it up and then holding it and brushing it down.

"What the hell are you doing to me, Anna?"

She studied me for a moment, "Do you have a bandana?"

I frowned. "It's in my closet with the rest of these stupid clothes."

For a moment, she disappeared, and when she came back, she tied it around my forehead before coming back at me with a handful of make-up.

"Woah, woah, woah… what are you doing?"

"Just stop asking questions, Tony."

"Where's Rudolf?"

She sighed loudly, grabbing my jaw in a vice-grip as she put stuff on my eyes. "He went to go get the car."

I tried to worm out of her grip, but it felt like my jaw would dislocate if I tried any harder. "_What_? You guys have a car?"

After a few more minutes of smearing goop on my face, she swung her arm around my waist, so I couldn't protest, sending us both out the window. "No, we don't generally have use of a car, but my friends, they live in Edinburgh, drove it up here the other day, because they knew it was Rudolf's birthday, and they know how much he likes to drive. He may be pretty naïve on several things of the world today, but cars are not one of them."

"How do _you_ know so much, though?"

"Again," she suddenly swooped down, and I shut my eyes, willing my stomach to not come up through my throat, "My friends. They were much more recently changed and unafraid of being out in the world because Edinburgh is much more populated. You'll meet them when we get there." She set me down, giving me a little shove towards the car, seeing me stagger as my feet met the ground.

I shuddered; she was a much scarier flyer than Rudolf. Slowly, I climbed into the backseat, my arms wrapped around my stomach.

"Tony?"

I looked up, spying Rudolf, turned completely around in the driver's seat, his eyebrows raised. "What?"

At first he said nothing, but then he shook his head, "N… Nothing…" He looked to Anna, but Anna had the rear-view mirror facing her direction as she applied bright red lipstick, trying to also fix the slight mascara smear from earlier.

"What?" She asked, without looking at him. "Why are we still here?"

* * *

The drive to Edinburgh was rather uneventful; Anna was the only one who talked, filling me in on some things about her friends, other things about the club. Like how it was owned by another vampire, and many of the young, or young at heart, vampires— most of who were on the same strict regimen of animal blood— would mingle with humans in hours worth of techno music and booze.

"Well, what happens if some one decides to bite a human?" I finally couldn't help but ask. Sure, I trusted Rudolf and Anna… but this sounded like it'd be a ton of the undead bustling around me.

She twisted around in the seat, so she was facing me. "It has actually happened before; I hear they cover up very well, and— _oh_." Her eyes widened a little with the realization. "No, no, Tony, you will be fine. You have a bite-proof guarantee, one might say." As she turned back around, she sent Rudolf a teasing look, "And, of course you'll have us; no harm will come to you, darling."

"_Anna_," Rudolf warned, not taking his eyes off the road.

"What?" She asked, her eyebrows raised in mock innocence, a soft giggle accompanying the question.

Only a few minutes later, we were weaving through the tight streets of Edinburgh, trying to dodge those crazy enough to dart out of nowhere and then Rudolf took a sharp turn and we wound up in a parking lot.

The two vampires in front turned to look at me, then to each other. "_Do_ you think he's safe here?"

"Don't ask that in front of him!"

My stomach fell a little; that didn't exactly sound promising. However, I didn't get much time to tell them that I'd be just dandy sitting in the car until they decided to come back, because they had managed to pull me out, linking arms with me, hauling my human ass past a long line of people waiting. Since I didn't have to focus on walking— I was practically being dragged— my eyes fell onto the people. Some looked normal, some looked pale; some looked like they were goth enough to be vampires, others wore bright neon. Any number of these people could be vampires, and I would never be able to tell which were which, especially in the dark.

After walking around the corner, we reached the front of the club, and Anna temporarily let go of my arm to go whisper something to the bouncer, who gave a low, throaty chuckle before scanning me over and waving us in. Ehh, I wish I had some idea of what I looked like to these people.

The moment we walked through the doors, I was met with a smoky, alcohol-y force that hit me in the face all in due part to the blaring bass of the techno music; I coughed. Wow. Everything was pretty dark, save for the occasional blinding light of the strobe and color lights, then, of course, there were the black lights. I could feel the low _thump_ing and _burr_ing throughout my body, which is why I jumped when I felt some one's lips near my ear.

"Are you all right, Tony?"

I looked up to spy Rudolf, watching me with slight amusement. Nodding, I gave a little smile, "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just this is all kind of new to me."

As my eyes adjusted, I spied a boisterous group that suddenly approached us, all flashing a grin, their canines prominent. These were Anna's friends? I swallowed; unafraid? Pft, try shameless. They looked like the people to go waltzing out in the middle of the street, scaring people just for the hell of it.

"Rudolf, mate, happy bloody birthday…" One of the females stepped forward dropping a kiss on his cheek, before flinging her arms around Anna. "Annaaaa, you really need to stop by more." If she had hung onto Rudolf like that, I might have been tempted to shove her off— the kiss had been bad enough. Aside from the air she seemed to carry— you know, the I'm-a-Vampire-and-I'm-Going-to-Eat-You-air—, she didn't seem all that threatening. She was shorter than I was, her chocolate brown hair flared out, miscellaneous bright colored bobby-pins, barrettes, bracelets, necklaces, tank tops and shorts— and paint splatters?— only seemed to emphasize the paleness of her skin.

Anna giggled, grabbing her friend's waist, trying to shove her away. "You're being rude dear, introduce yourself."

The other vampire gave me a lazy grin, once again, unabashedly brandishing her canines. With an arm still draped around Anna's neck, she reached out, giving me a pat on the cheek. "So you're the infamous Tony? 'lo, there, boy-o. Looks like Rudolf is quite the cradle robber." She mumbled, the last part, scanning me over. "But never mind the details, right? The name's Ashlyn." She pulled my face closer, examining my eyes. "Y'know, I think my eyes were that color once… What color are they now?"

"Ah… like a red-black?" I answered, wishing she would let go of my face.

"That's because I'm hungry."

"Ash!" Anna squealed, giving her a playful punch in the side. "She's kidding, Tony! Her eyes are always that color."

The brunette scowled, sticking out her pierced tongue. "Way to ruin the fun, Anna. Anyways, yes, they're always this color, so no need to wet your pants, boy-o." She straightened up some, finally addressing the rest of her party. "Right, well, maybe as Anna may or may not have told you, we're relatively new to this whole vampire shin-dig. I've got sixty-seven years under my belt. But I've always loved to travel, so, naturally, I'd move around… picked up this lot along the way. We settled here about twenty-six years ago." She pointed to a taller, wavy-haired sandy blonde female, who gave me a smile, much less menacing than Ashlyn's had been. "That's Larissa. She'll be real nice to you, so if you get lost just find her, and she'll keep you safe."

A laugh escaped Larissa as she stepped forward, "Sorry for all this. Ashlyn just likes to hear herself talk; but she's right, if you get lost in here, I'll make sure you stay safe."

I couldn't help but smile. These people were so nice! It was a big change from school and Rudolf and Anna were nice too, but it was different because they were around so much. "T-Thanks," I stammered, feeling a little like I was a protected invaluable asset to the vampire community— or I hoped I was, at least. Feeling Rudolf staring at me, I turned, beaming up at him; he laughed, ruffling my hair as Ashlyn continued.

"Bloody hell, of course I like to hear myself talk! But all that aside," she then pointed to the two that seemed like they were connected at the hip. "That's Mariah and that's Brian. Brian's new. Only twelve years, he is. So, if anyone was to eat you, he'd be the one to do it."

"Ash—"

"Right, right, so I'm only partially serious; they've been together for… about… what, four years now? They're fuck buddies."

"We're dating, you harpy." Brian shot back, his eyes narrowed into a dangerous glare.

Ashlyn rolled her eyes. "And I don't really care, _Brian_." She leaned in, whispering, "I don't much care for him; bit of an ass, he is."

I laughed a little, shivering as Rudolf slipped his arm behind me, giving us all a nudge. "Why don't we step out of the doorway?"

"No, no, no, we'll step out of the doorway; Anna," pointedly, Ashlyn looked back to the blonde, her forehead resting on her friend's, "Go take your brother to see everyone… we'll take Tony; then you can bring them over to meet him once you're done warning them not to eat him."

"Eat me?" I asked, turning to look at Anna. "I thought you said I had a bite-proof guarantee?"

Anna's eyebrows furrowed as she gave me an apologetic smile. "You do, dear, well, sort of. They knew, but the others aren't going to jump on humans here, that rarely happens, we just have to make certain—"

"You'll be fine, Tony." Rudolf smiled, squeezing my side.

I blushed, looking away.

Grinning, Ashlyn looked between me and Rudolf, something that sounded a lot like a cackle escaping her. "Well, now that that's settled, let's go, Tony." She grabbed my arm, as did Larissa, while Mariah and Brian followed after Rudolf and Anna.

"Ah… how long do you think it's going to take them?"

They both shrugged, leading me towards the bar. My stomach dropped; well, this didn't look promising. Before I knew it, Ashlyn had effortlessly picked me up and set me up on the bar, leaning onto the counter, grinning as she shouted, "A couple of Jamesons** for us and Tony!"

A large group around us looked in our direction, some lifting their drinks and cheering "Ay Tony!"

After these strange rituals had subsided, Larissa sat on a barstool, laying her arm on the bar. "So, I'm sure Ash has done a terrific job of scaring you to death; d'you have any questions for us?"

"Uh, sure… you know, neither of you… well, actually, Mariah too, none of you look very Irish."

Larissa shrugged, "Well, that would be because we're not. Except Brian. He's from here."

"She and Mariah are from Berlin, I found them when I left Ankara."

"Ankara?"

"It's in Turkey, boy-o." She handed me a glass filled halfway with amber liquid before reaching around me and handing a glass to Larissa.

My eyebrows shot up as I stared at the glass. "You're from Turkey? But isn't Ashlyn an Irish name?" And I knew that why? Maybe because I spent a good portion of my day going through hundreds of Irish names.

She took a long sip of her drink, nodding her head. "Yep. I changed m' name. Figured I'd least change who I was since the Leyla part of me pretty much died when I was changed."

"Well, that's depressing."

She shrugged. "But true."

Scanning me over, Larissa cleared her throat, getting my attention. "Have you ever drank, Tony? You keep looking like it's going to try to eat you."

"Drink it," Ashlyn said, not giving me a chance to answer. "Drink it, or tonight will be one of the worst nights of your life."

I was never one to say no to new things, but as I took a cautious sip of it, the desire to spit it out was blocked when Ashlyn slapped her hand over my mouth.

"Swallow it."

"That's what he said."

They smirked as I swallowed the burning liquid, trying to not gag. Holy hell, that was disgusting. Finally she moved her hand and I coughed, shuddering. "Can I be done with this?"

"Next question, deary."

"Why the hell are you two drinking this… this _stuff_?"

"'Cause it's good."

Larissa laughed, "It doesn't really affect us anymore, and I drink 'cause I like the taste of it. Ash does it 'cause she likes to act shamelessly drunk and get away with it."

Ashlyn hadn't said anything, but when I turned to look at her, she was taking another drink, trying to stop herself from smiling.

As I continued looking at her, I couldn't help but notice just how dark the half circles under her eyes were. "Did you put some kind of make up on under your eyes? Like, is that really bad smeared eye liner or something?"

She eyed me, pointing a finger towards my face. "You know you've got smeared eyeliner. Did Anna talk you into that one?" With her thumb, she ran her cool finger under both my eyes. "And to answer your question, no, it's not make-up." Ashlyn gave a wicked smirk. "I just shoot up heroin."

"Wha—"

"She's joking, Tony." Larissa said, laughing.

The brunette leaned over me, poking Larissa in the forehead. "You are such a buzz-kill! Fuckin' a…" She leaned her head back, finishing off the drink before hopping over the counter, grabbing the bottle of whiskey, and gracefully hopping back over. "Now finish your drink, there's underprivileged children all across the bloody world who don't get to drink such damn good whiskey."

I laughed a little, looking back to the drink in my hands. I wondered if Rudolf had ever been in my situation— it probably wouldn't have bothered him; it wasn't like he was a prime candidate for becoming a roaring drunk. Well, it'd make for an interesting story— I pinched just under the bridge of my nose, downing the rest of the drink. When I made a face, they laughed.

"One down," Larissa began, smiling.

Ashlyn tipped the bottle into my glass, filling it up. "Two to go."

* * *

"Fuuuuuck," I growled, trying to shove the green bottle away. "I can't fuckin' do this anymore." Three half-glasses had turned into finishing off the bottle while the two females around me watched in light-hearted spirits. …with their own spirits. Haha, funny…

Ash grinned, nudging me in the side. "This is nothin', kid. Absinthe. That is some fucked up shit."

"I hear you actually see a green fairy."

The two on both sides of me stared at each other before they broke into a fit of uproarious laughter. Trying to regain control of herself, Ashlyn began waving her hand towards the ceiling, "Aha, oh— oh my God— you, d'you remember— the," she waved her hand again, laughing even harder.

Having a little more success with breathing, Larissa continued, "Son of a— oh, look at the moon!"

With that being said, whatever it meant, they laughed harder, but Ashlyn suddenly stopped, straightening when Anna approached us.

A slight worry line appeared between her brows and she was smiling uncertainly, but put her hands on her hips. "What are you all laughing about?"

"No ideaaa." I said, shrugging.

Her eyes widened. "Tony, are you drunk?" She took a few steps towards me, grabbing my face before pulling away. "Good God, you are!" Looking to both the brunette and the sandy blonde, she shook me, making my head spin. "What did you two do to him? He's only seventeen! He's never had alcohol before— What is Rud—" Stopping, she bit her lip, pinching the bridge of her nose, trying to regain her temper. "Right, I came to ask if you have seen him?"

Larissa shook her head. "Not since you left with him earlier."

"All right, then I probably should keep looking for him." Anna turned to go, but Ashlyn grabbed her arm, frowning.

"You're mad at us…"

Anna turned, pointedly looking at the brunette. "He's so far gone that he probably won't even remember this tomorrow. Of course, I'm mad. I promised him and Rudolf that he wouldn't get himself hurt, but if he's this drunk then who knows who is going to try to take advantage of that."

I watched as Ash's lower lip was practically raped by her teeth. "I-I— we're takin' good care of him… we aren't gonna let anything happen, Anna…"

Shaking off her grasp, Anna turned around. "You better hope that nothing happens, but I still have to go find Rudolf." All three of us watched as the fair blonde stormed off back into the massive blob of people, off to search for the person I wanted to see.

"Mn, I believe that's the… eighth time she's blown you off?"

"You mean Anna? What?" I looked between the two, the idea finally hitting me— _ohhhh_. "So, you're like a lesbian?"

Ashlyn's mouth pulled down in an incredulous look. "Bisexual, boy-o. When you've been alive as long as we have we just stop caring so much. I had a husband once." She nodded slowly, giving a dismissive wave of her hand. "But now, I think Anna is about as much as I want right now."

A smile was pulling over my lips as I patted her cheek, much like she had when we had first met me. "'S'okay, keep trying. I to'ally understand."

She laughed, smiling back. "Great Iss, I'm gettin' love advice from a bloody human."

"I have to agree with him. Keep tryin'. I love to see her shoot you down."

Ashlyn gave her a backwards peace sign***, and I found myself giggling.

"Tha's sooo weird."

"Oh, no, boy-o, let's not get off subject here. You understand, eh? And why is that? Maybe it's because we all saw how yeh were eyeing Rudy. It's like you were tryin' to undress him with your eyes."

I smiled, blushing, the bottle touched my lips and I savored the liquid in my mouth before swallowing. "Mmmm. Wha's your point?"

Larissa leaned onto my leg, smiling up at me. "Aww, you like him."

Nodding, I finished up the rest of the bottle setting it on the counter with a little too much victorious emphasis, because it wobbled, falling, but Ashlyn let it hit her leg, so that it rolled more gently onto the floor instead of shattering into a mass of green glass.

"Y'know, it's his birthday."

"Yesss, I knooow."

"Sooo," Larissa added, smiling, "What are you going to give him?"

That, however, had me thinking— or at least thinking as much as one impaired with alcohol could manage. "I don't really know…"

"Well, why don't you go turn him on or something."

I shot Larissa a look. "If you haven't exactly noticed, 'm not goin' to be the man in the rela... relationtip... ship... shiiiiit. 'M the chick." Well, that sounded fucking fabulous. Ahaha… fabulously gay. My lips pulled upwards.

"Tony, you could definitely top Rudolph. _Definitely_."

I couldn't help laughing. "Only in my dreams, Issyyy."

Ashlyn's eyebrows shot up as a smile appeared on her lips. "So you've dreamed about it, have you? You know what to do, then." She helped me off the counter, grabbing my chin in her hand. "Go make us proud, doll."

"No, no! I can't!" I said, trying to cling onto Larissa. "I wouldn't know what to dooo!"

The wicked smirk was truly Ashlyn's trademark, I had learned, and she wound her arms around my waist, gently prying me from the blonde, "Let's close our eyes, Tony… and imagine me to be Rudolf… to feel his body against yours, coolin' your flushed body and givin' you that tightening in your stomach."

I wormed around, facing her, a blush on my face. "Jesus fuck, that was the sexiest thing I've ever heard."

"I'm a porno director—"

Before she could say anything else, I smiled, again patting her cheek. "'M sure you are."

As I staggered my way into the mass of people, my stomach churned, oh geez, what was I doing? There were so many people, it seemed like I would never find him… but then, I heard his laugh, and saw part of his face— there were dimples in his cheek. I found myself longing for the coolness of his body— I wanted to just touch his face— it was so warm and everything was begging to blur together. "Mmn… Rudolf," I frowned at the slur in my voice, still reaching for the dark haired vampire in front of me. My fingers brushed the soft fabric of his vest, and he turned, his face lighting up. My lips lazily pulled into a smile, one that eventually matched his.

"Tony, is there anything I can do for you?"

Still smiling, I let my eyes trail down to the buttons, the miniature devils hiding the creamy marble body I was dying to touch. Undoing buttons with a bottle of Jameson in my system proved to be quite the task, but once I had undone the vest, I felt cool hands on mine, staying them.

Ruby eyes met mine, an incredulous laugh passing through his lips. "What in God's name are you doing?" He asked, letting me go.

"'M hot…" Suddenly, just slipping my hands under his shirt seemed like the better approach. I could feel him tense under my touch, but Jesus, the contours of his muscles made it all worth it.

"Tony," his voiced sounded like a warning, but he was doing nothing to stop me. "W-What… are you doing?"

As focused as I was, I caught the falter in his question and I grinned up at him, trying to do my best Ashlyn grin. "Rudolf," I said softly, slipping my hands out so I could attempt to free Rudolf from his shirt, but before my fingers had touched the next button, it was undone, and the vampire had guided my hands back to his body. The action softened my smile, and I slid my arms around him, pressing my face against his chest; he was so cold…

Sliding my hands down his back, I stopped when I reached his hips, looking up at him with what I thought to be innocent eyes. His eyebrows furrowed and I smirked, grinding my hips into his. The breath catching in his throat was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard; he tensed, his hands entangling themselves in his hair.

"T-Tony… d— mmngh—"

You know how when people get a reaction they like, they're pretty much going to do any and every thing in their power to elicit the same response? Oh, damn, I'd do anything to keep him looking like this. His lips were trembling, trying to form my name, dark, ruby eyes half-lidded, glazed with lust, leaning towards me, daring me to close the distance.

I slipped my hand down lower, meeting the bulge in Rudolf's pants, watching his eyes disappear behind the desperate fluttering of his eyelids.

"Mmn— don—"

I pressed a little harder and he gasped. Oh, this was just fucking beautiful. Finally, I tip-toed up, moving so my lips would meet his—

But he moved. He _fucking_ moved. He had stepped away from me, digging his fingernails into his palms, biting down on his lip. "No, no, no, no—" He chanted for a moment before ruby eyes locked onto me. He suddenly grabbed me by the wrist, pulling me through the crowd, seemingly oblivious that I was tripping over my own feet just trying to walk. When we stopped, we were at the bar, and he yanked up on my arm, holding it above my head— it felt like I might have been just barely touching the floor, but I had felt like that for the past ten minutes, so haha, whateverrr. "Did you two do this to him?" Rudolf demanded, trying to ignore my giggling as I began twisting around under his grasp.

"We didn't do anythin', mate."

"He's _drunk_."

Ashlyn laughed. "That didn't seem to bother you a few minutes ago."

Looking embarrassed, Rudolf put me back on the ground, giving me a gentle nudge towards Ash and Larissa. "Keep him here— I need to go find Anna. We need to get him home."

Saluting him, Ashlyn wound her free arm around my torso, lassoing me back towards the safety of the bar. "Aye aye, Cap'in."

"That was the best, Tony," Larissa slung her arm around my shoulders. "And how d'yeh feel?"

"I feel…" I paused. Shit. What was I feeling? "'m I in trouble?"

"Trouble—?"

"You!" Anna had stormed up to us, waving her finger in my face. "Don't you dare move again, we need to get you home right now, or your family is going kill all three of us!" She whirled around, scanning the dance floor. "Where's Rudolf? I just saw him!" The frantic blonde yanked Mariah away from Brian long enough to shake her and tell her to hunt down her brother. "Tell him we'll be at the car." And before I knew it, she had hauled me up and flung me over her shoulder.

It was the fastest I had ever moved and it felt like I had just gone down a rollercoaster. Haha, fuck, I felt like I was going to puke. Just as it was getting unbearable, Anna had placed me in the car, and I laughed at the exasperated look on her face as she watched me. "Tha' was fun! Le's do it again!"

Anna whirled around, smacking Ashlyn in the arm. "I cannot believe you let him drink the entire bottle!" She raked her nails down her face, leaning her head back, groaning. "You two aren't the ones who have to ride all the way back with him! Now where is Rudolf?"

I smiled, tilting my head. "Tha's riiiight. He said he was looking for youuu. But you're riiiight here."

A roar of laugher came from Larissa and Ashlyn. "I can take a guess. If you saw how Tony was handling your brother, I'm pretty sure Rudy is havin' a nice long conversation with his right hand, if you know what I mean."

Anna's eyes widened as she looked at me, then back to them. "Wha—"

"Never mind that, Anna. A man's got to do what he can when he's got such a cutie for a love interest." Ashlyn scooted around Anna so she was standing in front of me, once again patting my cheek. "You did such a goog job. He won't be forgettin' that any time soon. D'yeh have a phone, boy-o?"

I nodded, smiling, trying to pull my cell out of my pocket.

She laughed, helping me pull it out. "You're going to sleep well tonight. But if you ever need anythin', just call me, and Issy and I'll be there in a heartbeat."

Larissa stepped next to Ashlyn, reaching out to ruffle my hair. "Keep in mind, you are completely able to top him."

The two smirked as I laughed, throwing my arms out to encompass them both in a hug. "Yessss! An' one day I shaaall prevail!"

"That's the spirit, boy-o."

Pulling Ashlyn aside, Anna stared down her friend until finally, she sighed, placing her hands on her shoulders. "You are such an idiot…" Slowly a smile formed on her lips and she kissed Ash's forehead. "And despite all of that, you managed to get him to show Rudolf that, somewhere, despite how drunk, they are into each other. So, thanks."

"Whoooooo! Yeaaaaah, you kiss her like you mean it!"

The two both turned to me, eyes wide, their mouths agape. Larissa just laughed.

When Rudolf finally showed up, he gave the two a weak glare, hopping into the driver's seat and slamming the door.

Even through the window, I could hear Ashlyn. "No need to be sour, Rudy; you'll thank me for it someday."

Rudolf just shook his head and the car roared to life.

After Rudolf had taken a sharp right turn, I had careened over and couldn't find the energy to get back up, so I spent the return trip on my side, curled up in the backseat, fading in and out of the world— even on my side the world was spinning. I should try drinking alcohol more often.

But I was so disoriented when the car stopped; I felt so cold, my head was spinning, and I could only make out blurs. Then, I was on something soft, and hands were on my face, something was wiping at my face, and people were talking in low voices.

"You can't be upset with him…"

"I'm not. I-I… it's," a sigh. "He wasn't thinking right and I don't even know if he was serious about any of it." Cold hands helped me sit up and I could feel the tight shirt leave my body to be replaced with a loose, clean-smelling shirt.

For a moment, there was nothing. "He had to be serious about part of it, even if he doesn't remember anything tomorrow. He wouldn't have done it if he didn't feel that way. Maybe the alcohol just helped him lose his inhibitions. You're kind of intimidating."

"I am not."

"I meant in the aspect of— oh, never mind. I think I'm going to take the car back down tonight and just spend the day with Ashlyn."

"You like her, then?"

A sigh. "No, but I think we need to do a great deal of talking."

"Well, drive safe."

"Ha."

Things were quiet again, but cool hands were on my face— I forced my eyes open, he was still blurry, but he was still Rudolf. I tried to smile. "Ruu—"

He let out a little laugh. "Good God above, this is such sick punishment."

When the mattress moved as he stood up, I frowned, blindly reaching towards him. "Nn… no… stay…" The mattress dipped as he came back, laying up against me, sighing into my hair. I smiled, snuggling into him, beginning the descent into darkness.

"Good night, Tony."

* * *

* — I don't actually know if The _Great Families of Scotland_ is a real book, but if it is, then credit to whoever wrote/assembled it, but if it's fictional, then we can all just get on with our lives. Yay.

**— A Jameson for those of you who don't know, is an Irish Whisky.

***— i.e. the bird, the middle finger, a big ol' fuck you. C:

Heyyy, darlings, well, two more things.

Uno.

Haha, I don't know if you've ever tried, but writing first person for a drunk person is… challenging, so I'm sorry if Tony came off as too sober. I actually wrote and re-wrote and deleted and re-deleted like three times… so… haha, this is as good as it's going to get.

Dos.

This is one of the longest days, and there's kind of a ton of stuff that went down… and, I hate to sound like I'm begging… but, look. I'm begging. PLEASE TELL ME HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS. D: Even if it's like "Great." Or… like "Omg, this sucks!" …tell me. Please. I put a lot of effort into making this seem tangible from the tragedy to a Tony being a little horny tease… so please, please, pleaaaaaaaaase. Just do this one thing for me. If you never want to review again, that's fine. But do it for this one. Please. -lovelovelove-

TuT twenty freaking pages... mngg... -dies-


	8. Hangovers, Phone Calls, & Fantasies

A/N:

HOLY. HELL.

It's been almost two months! I'm so, so, so, so, so, so [etc.] sorry! D:  
And it occurred to me that after begging and pleading for you all to review, I didn't even write you back! I feel so awful! I'm so sorry! But to all of you who did, thank you so, so much! Your opinions and thoughts mean so much to me and I love you all! -lovelove- Thank youuu~ You all just make writing worth it.  
It's also come to my attention that I may be taking the Scottish accent to a bit of an extreme, so I tried toning it down some. Hopefully you can all read it now, haha.  
And again, a massive apology for taking so long. ;_; School has been so ridiculous and finals were a bitch… but now they're over and done with, which means more time for me to write!  
Aaaand, to make it up to you, I added a scene that wasn't even supposed to be in here. ;] Can you guess which one?  
c: Happy reading!

* * *

**Tuesday**

It was burning… burning… oh, fuck—

I sat up in a start, my face dripping in a cold sweat, my hand pressed firmly against my mouth. Throwing off the covers and thoroughly scaring the poor vampire next to me, I ran down the hall, landing on my knees in front of the toilet, bile burning my throat as I threw up.

As I ridded my insides of whatever it was, I felt a hand on my back. "Tony…" He knelt beside me, placing his cold hand against my forehead as I coughed, spluttering the last bits of throw up into the toilet. "I'm sorry." He kissed my exposed shoulder, my shirt having been caught under my knees as I had come to a skidding halt in front of the toilet.

Ugh, my head was killing me… I looked at him, fighting the urge to gag again. "Wh-What… happened?" I watched as his expression broke into something pained before he faltered into a smile, about to answer. But before he could, he stiffened, moved in a blur and was gone.

A knock was at the bathroom door. "Tony?" My mom came in, putting her hand where Rudolf's had just been. She looked to the toilet then back to me, her lips pulling into a frown. "Honey, are you okay?" I had barely managed to shake my head before she sniffed, making a face. "Tony, baby, why do you smell like alcohol?"

Another wave of nausea hit me, and I threw up again, coughing and spluttering until I could finally open my mouth without feeling something forcing its way up my throat. I looked at her, shuddering at the taste. "I-… I can't even remember, to b-be… _ughn_… honest…"

"What's with your hair and… are you wearing eyeliner?" My mom was quiet for a minute as she stiffened, mechanically patting my back. "You know what? Why… why don't we talk about this later? Why don't you just go back to bed? I'll let the school know you won't be coming in today. Can you make it back to your room okay?"

I nodded after a moment, moving to grab a washcloth, wiping my mouth on it. I watched her leave and gently kicked the door shut behind her. When I turned around, Rudolf, much like I had expected, had come back, arms folded tightly over his chest. He hadn't said anything, so I hauled myself up, off my knees, and towards the sink where I proceeded to try to rinse the disgusting taste out of my mouth. Even when I was finished, he still hadn't said anything. "…so… um… what exactly happened?" Oh, God, I felt so lightheaded.

He suddenly scooped me up, quickly and quietly taking me back to my room, where he set me down gently, ruffling my hair with a sad smile. "Too much to explain in not enough time… your mother is on her way back upstairs, I should leave. I'm so sorry your stomach isn't agreeing with you. Rest up and feel better. I should be back tonight."

I frowned, watching him leave. There was something too alone and upset about the way he spoke to me; I curled up on my side and waited for my mom to come back. I really just wanted to pull the blankets over my head and simply go back to sleep, but before I could get a chance to, there was a curt knock on the door and my mom came in, still looking as tense as she had when she had left the bathroom. Struggling to force myself into a sitting position, I clutched my head— Jesus, what a headache; at last, I sighed, resigned to remaining on my side— provoking my headache wasn't worth it. "What…?" I asked quietly, snuggling into one of my softer pillows.

She stood there in her robe, her hand running through her hair, looking positively distraught. "Tony… you can't remember what happened last night, you look absolutely ridiculous, you smell like alcohol, and from the way you're acting, you clearly have a hangover." She brought her hand down so she was rubbing at her temples, the tone in her voice becoming increasingly more reprimanding. "Even though I'm going ask you, I know you won't remember. Did you go out to a party last night? Did you drink there? I can only assume yes, Tony!" Sighing, she put her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowing into a motherly glare. "I thought we taught you better than that! You know how dangerous alcohol can be! Who knows what could have happened to you! It's a miracle that you even managed to make it back to the house! I can't even fathom how the only thing wrong with you is nausea and a headache!"

It never occurred to me just how much effort it took to look apologetic, until I tried to do it with a splitting headache. I winced, quickly giving up on that idea. "I'm sorry," I whispered, instead opting for the completely miserable look. That was easy to do, considering it was how I felt.

After a moment of staring at me, her face finally softened, her shoulders slumping, looking about as miserable as I felt. She walked towards me, sitting on the edge of my bed. Frowning, she ran her hand through my hair, whispering "Oh, baby… I'm sorry… it's just hard seeing you like this. I really did think you knew better than that… I know moving here hasn't been easy on you, and I know these nightmares you've been having haven't helped either. But drinking isn't the answer to it…" Taking my face in her hands, her grip on me tightened noticeably. "If there's something that you're going through, tell me, baby, _tell me_… you used to tell me everything and now you've closed yourself off from us and it just breaks my heart…" I could see tears pooling in the corners of her eyes, and I lifted my hand to hers, frowning. Oh, how I hated seeing her cry. When I moved to wipe the rogue tear that spilled down her cheek, she finally let me go, shaking her head. "No, no, I'm sorry, I shouldn't be crying like this…"

For a minute or so, she stayed on my bed, now facing away from me, trying to get a hold on herself. Finally, when she had decided she was composed enough, mom stood up, her arms once more folded across her chest. "Well, the best way to get rid of a hangover is to sleep it off; the school already knows you're not coming… and let's not tell your father, because I think he won't handle this as well. But you're grounded. I don't know how long, but no car, no computer, no nothing. Just school and homework."

Well… whatever. My head hurt so much, I just wanted to close my eyes and fade away. "Okay…" I mumbled, trying to keep my eyes open.

"All right, as far as your father is concerned, you're sick, which isn't too far off…" She was at the door now. "Around lunch we'll see if you can hold down some soup. Now get some sleep, Tony."

I didn't need telling twice.

* * *

Dark shapes were moving towards me, my vision obstructed by flashes of blinding light… when I could see, it was some one's mouth, pulling into a dangerous, devious grin; the trademark elongated canines ever present. Several pairs of red eyes were on me; the apprehension in me grew as I was led away from the pair that made me feel safest.

Then, there were shouts all around me, before a relative calm; but then, amber liquid hit my lips and despite the burn, soon things were most definitely okay. No more dread, no apprehension, just calm mingled with laughs and smiles.

"Tony, you could defintely top Rudolf. _Definitely_."

And there he was, at first, just the corner of his mouth, the dimples in his cheek making me smile. My hands were on his chest, moving over the contours of his body before finally I pressed myself against him, pulling us together in a hug. But then, deviously, I felt myself straighten, and before my eyes, his face contorted to something beautiful; just on the look on his face was orgasmic. I wanted to kiss him. And our lips were about to touch—

"Just call me and Issy—"

Anna placed a kiss on a brunette's forehead and I couldn't help but feel happy for her. And I was careening over and voices were putting me to sleep…

Or was I waking up?

My eyes fluttered open to my mother shutting the door. …I guess she was checking on me? I sighed, rolling over, some of the images of my dream still fresh in my mind; particularly the one of Rudolf. God, he was so… so…

* * *

Woah. Woah, woah, woah. I felt so alert as my eyes snapped open; did I have a— shit, I did. Well… this was slightly awkward. Some one knocked at my door, and I immediately sat up, ripping the pillow out from behind me and tossing it over my lap. Things just got much more awkward.

"Tony, you awake?" My mom asked, as she opened the door, precariously balancing a tray with some soup, crackers, and a large cup of water.

I squirmed uncomfortably, but somehow forced a small smile. "Y-Yeah… I'm awake…"

"How are you feeling?"

"Uh…" I hope she wouldn't stay long. "I'm feeling… a little better?"

She smiled, setting the tray on the trunk that Rudolf once slept in. "That's good to hear. Well, hopefully after you have some food in your system that headache of yours will go away entirely…" Pausing she put a hand on her hip. "And I hope you know that just because I'm in a good mood doesn't mean you can try to talk me out of grounding you."

Biting down on my lower lip, I nodded. "'S'okay, mom, wasn't planning on it…"

"Good. I guess I'll leave you to this now. Be careful, it's still pretty hot."

"Okay." Get out, get out, get _out_. I waited impatiently for her to shut the door behind her, groaning as I leaned back against the wall. Note to self: Stop dreaming about Rudolf looking so…_augh_. Looking over at the soup, I pulled the pillow off my lap; there'd be no way I'd ever be able to sit here calmly eating it with a boner. Sighing, I ran my hands through my hair, which was still stiff with hairspray. Ah, perfect. I could use a shower anyways.

After a mad dash down the hall, I locked myself in the bathroom, turning the shower faucet as hot as it would go. For a minute, all I did was stare at my reflection in the mirror, begging the image of myself to tell me what had happened last night. Why was my hair so fluffy looking? Why did I have eyeliner smudged around my eyes? Why did I have such a vivid dream of me… well, practically molesting Rudolf?

As my face became blurred due to the condensation, I slowly took off my clothes, exposing myself to the warm, heavy air. Before stepping into the shower, I turned the water down, groaning when part of me began to ache, longing to be touched. Oh, Jesus, what I wouldn't give to have Rudolf here. I sighed as the water hit me; would it kill me just to turn the faucet to cold and solve my problem that way? No, I finally decided, my fingers ghosting over my erection, my lips parting in a soft moan. If my imagination could give me such vivid dreams, then it could come up with one damn good fantasy.

And it was almost like I could feel him against me, my hand now his, stroking gently, but with a purpose, much like I imagined he would. I inhaled sharply as I leaned up against the cool tiled wall, my other hand, resting on the wall as well. The pace quickened. Rudolf would lean down, his lips sucking on the sensitive skin of my neck, his arm snaking around my torso. "Mnn—" Waves of ecstasy were rolling through my body, my knees were trembling, and I bit down on my lip from keeping myself from moaning.

The vampire would lift his head, his eyebrows raised, wondering why I was trying so hard to keep quiet; some one must've forgotten that I'm supposed to be quietly eating soup in my room… The grip tightened. I gasped, biting down on my left hand. God, I wish he was really here. What I wouldn't give to have him actually doing this to me…

Holy fuck, I was close. "Mmnaah—"

And he would whisper "Come for me, Tony…"

My head tilted back in ecstasy, release leaving me gasping and panting the vampire's name. After a moment, I rested my forehead against the wall, holding my hand out, under the faucet, as if that would somehow erase what I had just done. What the fuck?

I lowered myself to the floor of the tub, my knees pulled my chest, the water rolling down my face. Shit. I really had just jerked off to my best friend.

It probably took me another ten minutes before I had finally come to grips with what I had done; I had then taken my time senselessly scrubbing myself raw in retribution before I finally found myself, pouting, like a child, wrapped in too big a towel, sulking back into my room. Bless the stars that neither my mother nor Rudolf were waiting for me, wanting to know why I looked so guilty and why my skin was practically glowing red.

I got dressed rather quickly, shivers coursing through my body as bare skin met the cool air of my room, before I dove back underneath my sheets, I started eyeing the bowl of soup on my trunk. It was probably cold. But my stomach growled, clearly pointing out that it didn't care. With a sigh, I retrieved the tray, surprised that the soup was lukewarm, which wasn't nearly as bad as eating it cold.

Shoving the tray onto my nightstand once I was done, I sighed, looking around. I wasn't really tired, and I would rather find something to do so I wouldn't have to think. There were several things I would rather not think about, but it turned out I was going to have to do just that; already it seemed like my mother had removed my laptop, my television— how she did that, I'm not entirely sure— and chances were, even if I wanted to go back to playing Game Boy, that probably would be gone too. I sighed again, flopping back on my pillow, and that was when it hit me. My phone could still be in my jeans pocket. But where were my jeans?

I didn't see them anywhere on the floor and I hadn't seen them in my closet… Frowning, I leaned over my bed and sure enough, in a conspicuous pile were… my skinny jeans and that stupid scene shirt? What? Shoving the thought towards the back of my mind, I fumbled with the pockets, and at last my fingers brushed over the cool Razor and I smirked, feeling somewhat victorious.

But, why? Wow, genius. Way to remember your only friend here is a vampire and has no cell phone. I flopped back down, pulling the blankets over my head, staring at the phone. Yeah, the vampire you just jacked— no. _No_. Get over it, Tony.

Maybe I could call Emily… sure, she'd probably be asleep, but I hadn't talked to her in a few months. At least I could leave a message? …wait. What was her number? Wow. I couldn't believe I couldn't even remember one of my best friend's numbers. I opened up my address book, taken back by the first entry in my phone. Oh my goodness. 'Aaaaashyln :D'? Ashlyn…

Ashlyn? Was that the face I was seeing in the hazy memories of my dream? The one with the devious little grin? Chewing on my lip, I stared at the screen, hoping it would just somehow give me the answer. I sighed when the backlight went off, hitting the call button. It rang quite a few times and I started wondering just what I was going to say in the voicemail. _Uh, hey, I don't really remember who you are, so do you want to call me back and explain what exactly went down last night?_

"Mnn, yeah, mate?"

"Uhh… Ashlyn?"

She yawned. "Yeah, boy-o? Wha' d'yeh need? D'yeh forget this is the middle of the night for us?"

Middle of the night? _Oh_. Was she one of Anna's friends? A vampire? "Umm… so, this is going to sound kind of weird, but I don't really remember you… I don't really remember much of last night. I just remember feelings and blurs."

Letting out a tired laugh, she said, "'S'okay, Tony. We didn't think you would. Wha' d'yeh remember about me?"

"I remember being really calm. Like, I was really relaxed around you or something."

"Perfect. 'Cause you were; sure, Issa and I got you pretty smashed, but I say it was all in your best interest regardin' Rudolf."

I could feel my jaw drop. What did I do with Rudolf when I was drunk? "Uh— …what?"

Ashlyn sighed, yawning again. "'kay, boy-o, let me recap the night for you. We, Larissa and I, met you, Rudy, and Anna by the door. Rudy and Anna went to go say hello to the rest of the vampire underworld; we hauled you off to the bar and sent you on your way to becoming drunk as fuck, because I could tell you were totally into Rudy and you just really needed to lose your inhibitions. We had a very nice, long conversation about life, relationships, an' beer. An' then Issa said—"

"Oh my God, she said I could top him… I thought I had dreamt that up."

I could hear the smile in her voice. "Yeah, boy-o! What else d'yeh remember?"

Hesitating, I scanned over the things I could recall. "I keep seeing what I think is your grin. It's crazy." She laughed, and I continued. "And… I keep seeing Rudolf's face. But it's…" I trailed off, feeling my face grow warmer.

"Like he's about ready to come?"

_Oh,_ _god_. "Y-Yes…"

A loud laugh suddenly came through the line and I was so startled, I pulled the phone away from my ear. "Ahh, Tony… Tony, Tony, Tony…"

A second, albeit tired, voice joined her. "You're talkin' to Tony? But it's so early, though."

"You wanna say hello?"

"Ayyy, Tony, how's that hangover treatin' you?"

The voice sounded familiar; another person I felt safe around. "Larissa?"

"Aha, well enough for you to remember me, good to know. Well," she yawned, "I'll let Ash finish up with you. When this is all over an' done, call us back at a reasonable hour, you crazy human."

I couldn't help but let out a little laugh. "Okay, have a good day's sleep."

There was some shuffling, before Ashlyn jumped right back into our conversation. "Righ', righ', righ'. Let's not change the subject here. Back to Rudolf an' his sexual frustrations."

"Eh… do you have to put it like that?" I blushed, grateful she couldn't see me; I could only think of what I had done in the bathroom; apparently he wasn't the only one who was sexually frustrated.

"Tony, let's face it. Rudolf hasn't had sex in a long time."

"But—"

"_Long time_."

Sighing, I rolled over on my bed, my face peeking out of the covers so I was looking at my window curtains. "Okay, fine, then, go on."

Sounding smug, "Good. Now, I'm not you, granted, but from my very pleasant view from the bar, I got to watch you swagger on up to him, lightin' up that precious face of his. And lo, what d'you do! You go straight to undressin' him! We didn't think you'd really go that far that fast. So, Issa and I couldn't see that well, so we hopped up on the bar and now what d'we see? Our little boy-o, full-frontal grindin' and gropin'! We were laughin' so hard; but by then you were about to kiss him, an' I think he might have heard us, because he glared at us, and the next thing we knew he was haulin' you towards us, looking like the devil himself." She hesitated a moment, "Sorry we ruined your kiss, boy-o."

I couldn't help but laugh. Ah, all of this felt so familiar. Hearing it from her, it was like the fragments of my memory were beginning to piece themselves together, completing the puzzle of last night. "It's okay, Ash. I probably wouldn't have remembered it, anyways. Thanks for letting me know… I know you're tired. I'll go. Oh! Wait, so last night, I think I heard Rudolf and Anna talking… is she at your place?"

The line was silent for a moment. "Uhm… y-yeah, boy-o. Bloody nosy. Haha, like Issa said, call us later; I'll fill you in then."

"Haha, fine, bye."

"Ta."

I shut my phone, feeling a warm feeling spread through me, and I smiled, curling up tighter. I had _friends_. But then I blushed, burying my face in my hands. And apparently, I had almost kissed Rudolf, who had almost kissed me back… a second time. Woah. Woah, hey. That was right. Twice in the same day? Oh, shit. I had been so caught up in trying to figure out what had happened last night, I had completely spaced on the fact that I could have written a novel on everything that had gone down before I couldn't remember. He had almost kissed me on the balcony. I knew what his trauma was. Anna said… Oh, my God… Anna said he was in love with me.

Aside from feeling like what I could only assume a twelve year old girl would feel like once she found out her crush liked her, my mind was reeling. What did that mean? Well, I knew what it meant… but… this was so much grander. He was a vampire, and I, as the Sackville-Bagg family liked to so often remind me, was not. The comet that was supposed to turn him human was supposed to come Saturday… it was already Tuesday. What was that going to mean? Another three hundred years before his chance to become human? Was I going to be just another Hadrian? What if we really couldn't find the stone…? It could be _anywhere_.

I wished I could talk to someone about all of this. A few came to mind, but all three of them were female, who would no doubt blow this all out of proportion, all of which were vampires, and would therefore have a bias in the matter, and, unfortunately, all were currently sleeping. I needed to talk to them, but I couldn't afford to do it when it was dark… Oh, God. There was no way I could have Rudolf come over tonight. I slipped out of bed, tip-toeing over to my desk where I leaned over, flipping open my notebook and grabbing a pen. What exactly should I say to him in a note? That I was sick? …well, it wasn't entirely a lie. I kind of was. I felt a lot better and didn't have that bad of a headache, but… Lying to Rudolf just didn't sit well with me. Augh, but I couldn't afford to have him come in anyways.

Tapping the pen on my chin, I sighed, finally putting the pen to the paper.

Rudolf,  
Hey, friend… I'm sorry we didn't really get a chance to talk this morning. I guess that's my fault. I know we were supposed to talk when you came over tonight, but I still don't feel very well. I went to bed early, so, promise you'll come back tomorrow night. I'm really, really sorry.  
Tony

There… that seemed innocent enough. I shoved the end of the pen in my mouth as I scoured my desk until I had found a roll of tape. Slipping out onto the balcony, I eyed the window, picking a spot that he would be sure to see it, and taped it, hesitating as I felt the pen slip out between my lips. Hm. It couldn't hurt, right? Purposefully, I taped the pen at the bottom corner of the note, pressing down on the tape and hoping it would hold for at least however long it took until Rudolf got there.

After climbing in back through the window, I carefully shut it, locking it before I pulled all of the curtains closed. Hopefully that would send across the message that: hey, even though you flew all this way to see me, seriously, don't come in.

I crawled back into bed, scrolling through my phone until I had managed to set an alarm to go off around six thirty, which should put Scotland at about twilight, which, I reasoned would be the perfect time to call Ashlyn and Larissa back. Tucking it safely in my pillowcase, I once more snuggled into the other pillows, my mind running through all of the unanswered questions until I had eventually wore myself into sleep.

* * *

Blinking back into consciousness, I squirmed around, trying to find where I had hid my phone to turn off its incessant beeping. When I had finally managed to shut it off, I yawned, stretching. Couldn't I just go back to bed? I rubbed at my eyes, forcing myself into a sitting position until I thought I'd be able to stay awake long enough to make the call.

Before I actually dialed the number, I slapped my cheeks, trying to shake the sleep from me. But when I heard the dial tone this time, I wasn't nervous.

"Heeeeey, Tony, boy."

I smiled. "Hey, Ash."

"Tony!"

"Hi, Larissa?"

Ashlyn scoffed in a laughing sort a way, apologizing. "Yeah, sorry, you're on speaker… we're gettin' ready."

"Getting ready? For what?"

This time it was Larissa, "We're going out."

Wasn't that what they had done with all of us just last night? "Do you guys normally just go partying every night?"

"Wish I could say that. Nah, since you run with Rudy an' Anna, then you probably already know 'bout that stupid star that's supposed to save us all. I hate to sound like a pessimist, but let's face it… no one knows where the blimey amulet is anyway, so I figure we might as well go out every night this week, because hey, we can eat, drink, an' be merry, because when it's all over an' done with, we still won't die."

This left me partially gaping, but I quickly pulled myself together, but still managed to sound disappointed. "Uh, wow. Way to be."

She scoffed again. "What? Why d'_you_ sound so upset?"

"Well… the star you seem to hate so much is kind of why I'm calling actually."

"Ah, shit… sorry, boy-o… it's just…" Ashlyn sighed, and I could imagine her pinching the bridge of her nose. "Um. Why don't you take care of this one, Iss?"

After a moment, things became a lot less echo-y and I assumed Larissa went out into the hallway, or at least away from Ashlyn. "Yeah, sorry, Tony; she's a bit off today. So, how are you? How's your headache?"

Ashlyn off? Sure, I had only known her a day, but she didn't seem to be the type to get down over nothing… oh. Maybe it was Anna. "I'm all right," I laughed a little. "I got grounded because apparently I was so drunk off my ass, I couldn't even remember. But my head's feeling better."

I could hear the smile in her voice. "Tough luck, but at least you're feeling decent now."

"Yeah…"

"So, what's happening?"

"Okay, so I kind of need your opinion… or something, I don't really know, I just needed to talk about it." After she hummed her acknowledgement, I continued. "I pretty much spent the entire morning freaking out about not being able to remember last night, and because I did that, I had totally forgotten everything that had happened before we even left for the club." I paused, unsure if I actually wanted to concrete that thought in my mind.

"Well, what happened? You can't just leave me hangin' like that."

Taking a deep breath, I let it out in a very long sigh. "Anna says that Rudolf is in love with me."

"Wh_aaaaaaaaaat_?" About halfway through her 'a's, the question rose about two octaves, before she continued in a pitch that I was fairly certain dogs could hear. "Why did you wait so long to call us? This is important! Ahhh! Tony, I'm so happy for you!"

"_Oi_! Why are you bloody screechin' in there for?" Jesus, I blinked. I assumed Larissa had gone into a different room, but if I could hear Ashlyn that crystal clear rooms away— damn, she had some lungs on her.

"Rudy's in love with Tony!"

"_What_!"

I held the phone away from my ear as the two of them laughed and giggled and I couldn't help but smile again, burying my face in my comforter.

Ashlyn sounded much better already. "Ah, Tony, boy! Why didn't you tell me sooner? That's great! Does he know you know?"

"I don't think he does… but I think that was one of the only reasons I went with them last night."

"Ah, hell, who cares? This is brilliant!"

"Isn't it? Mother of all things holy, we should fly up to see you. We can talk face to face!"

I sighed. "I wish… I'm grounded, remember? And besides, I think my parents might get just a little bit suspicious if I wake up with a hangover and then two twenty-something year olds show up at my house in clubbing clothes asking to see me."

"Psh, you an' your logic, boy-o. Don't be such a killjoy. Forget that. I'm coming anyway."

"Ashlyn, what are you— blimey— augh, God, how many times have I told you to wear a bloody bra?"

"They're constrictin' an' I don't appreciate it."

Oh my. "Um… well… if you're really that hell bent on coming to see me, would you at least wear one, please?"

"Does that mean you want us to come see you now?" Ashlyn called from somewhere.

"I never said that, but considering I just told you no and you're already planning on coming, what difference is it going to make?"

Larissa laughed. "He's got a point, dolly, you aren't really the type to go listenin' to what people want once you got your mind made up."

"So does this mean you guys really are coming to see me?"

"Boy-o, this is not the kind of conversation people have over the phone. We should be there in about… an hour an' a half."

Skeptically, I asked "Doesn't it take like three hours to get from here to there and vice versa?"

"Heh. Boy-o, clearly, you've never seen me drive."

"You're not flying?"

"Bloody hell, no," Larissa said, sounding more far away that Ashlyn did now. Maybe they were changing into something else? "If you've failed to notice, it's freezin'."

"So, where d'you live, boy-o?"

"Just ask Anna."

There was silence on the other line that seemed to last forever. "Ahm… yeah, 'bou' that… not happenin'."

Oh. It must be Anna problems. After I told them where I lived, to go in through my window rather than the door, and that they had better avoid Rudolf at all possible costs, they cheekily told me that they'd be there soon, that I better not lock the window, and not to worry about Rudolf— they'd bring him tied, gagged, and naked. …I politely declined the last one.

"No worries, boy-o. I'm sure the last one'll happen soon enough."

"Ashlyn!"

"Byeee, Tony. See you in a bit."

Once we had hung up, I shook my head; they were so crazy… I loved it.

* * *

What better way to make time pass— or drag, I came to learn— than doing homework? I had blown it off the night before, but then again, that had pretty much been worth it, despite the fact that I couldn't remember a thing. But like every time I tried to do my homework, my mind began wandering, and working was slow.

The highlight of doing my homework was when my mother came in with another bowl of soup and crackers. However, this was short lived when she reminded me to hand over my cell. As reluctant as I was to do so, I figured I ought as well tell her as soon as I was done with the homework, I was going to bed, so she wouldn't walk in when the vampires were here. When she left, I tip-toed to the door and locked it.

And just when I thought I was going to die due to an overload of all of the useless information, there was jovial tap on the window, and I practically fell out of bed in a hurry to go open it. I yanked back the curtain, and Larissa and Ashlyn were standing there, both in sweats. Ash had the pen in her mouth, pulling her hair back into a messy bun while she read the note I had written, in Larissa's hand.

They glanced up when I opened the window, but continued standing there until Ashlyn smirked, waving the letter around. "Well, isn't that adorable."

Larissa whined, snatching the note away, clearly not done reading it.

"What?"

"It was cute."

There had been nothing particularly endearing about any part of my note as far as I could recall. A gasp parted my lips— unless, Rudolf wrote something? "What does it say?" I asked, trying to read over the top of the paper.

Larissa handed it back and the dark haired vampire, and she smirked, dancing away from me, practically disappearing from my sight, until she reappeared on the couch, standing on the arm of the chair, reciting the note. Her voice had lost its Irish accent completely, having been replaced by a British one and it was deeper, like she was trying to imitate Rudolf. "My dear friend, how it pains me to know that your ailing is quite in due part to my negligence—" She cut off for a moment, looking to Larissa, who was shutting the window. "It's like he's trying to say we're as negligent as he is. Sneaky bastard."

"Haha, the nerve. We just know that alcohol is simply the cure to almost everythin'."

"Never heard truer words, m'friend."

"_Guys_!" I whined, trying to snatch the note away from the brunette.

She sent me a scolding look. "An' here I thought we were supposed to keep a low profile and here you are shouting. And where are your manners?" Back to the 'Rudolf' voice, "Ahem— blah, blah… due part to my negligence, I do hope you'll accept my sincerest apologies. Oh, how I detest the idea of spending the night without you; I doubt it will ever be the same now that I have met you. Please recover quickly. And I give you my word, I will come back tomorrow. I would be mad not to." Looking up and smirking again, she finished, "With lots of hugs an' kisses an' surprise sex, Rudyyy!"

I rolled my eyes, trying to ignore the blush heating my face. "You know, you do a British accent really well."

"What?" Larissa asked, laying stomach-down across my bed. "D'you think only Americans can do accents?"

"Ah, hell, don't give in to that, Issy! He's tryin' to change the subject!" Ashlyn glared at me, falling backwards until she was sitting, stretched out on the couch. "So, boy-o, he clearly loves you, so what's the problem?"

Sighing, I sat down on the bed, next to Larissa, "I think you seem to be forgetting a very important detail… you know, the one where he's the mother fucking _undead_."

"Psh, details," Larissa said, with a wave of her hand.

"No, not just 'psh, details'! This is big! Like, I mean, I was fairly certain until like a week ago that I was straight, and now I don't even know… and it's more than just some stupid crush, I think… I feel like I've known him for forever and I haven't, but already I'd do anything for him, and if I had to die for him to gain mortality, I would… because I think I love him too…"

They both 'aw'ed in unison, but I shook my head.

"No! I don't need you to be women! I need you to be cold hearted bitches!"

They shot each other a look. "Um. …all right, boy-o."

"Right, now, that stupid comet, yeah, we're all being hella pessimistic about it, but on the off-chance, that we're all right and we can't find the stone, what does that mean for me? About what we could have been?"

"You're right, you best just give up any hope of love right now."

"Yup, it was a lost cause from the very beginning. Dunno why you even bother."

"Wha—"

"Yeah, we don't actually like this, so, can we just go back to findin' this adorable an' try to help you figure this out from there?"

"So, basically, what you're sayin' is how d'you stay with him?"

I wanted to nod, but it seemed more complicated so I just shrugged. "I guess so… maybe… I mean, I do want to stay with him, but I'm just going to keep getting older and he's always going to be forever nineteen. He's already had to… well, go through one loss, but I don't want him to have to do that again, just because I'm human…"

"Have him bite you."

My eyebrows rose. "Seriously? Yeah, okay, because I'm sure he's gonna absolutely go for that idea. He's so bent on becoming human, I'm pretty sure turning me into a vampire would be considered backtracking."

Ashlyn sat up, a playful gleam in her blood red eyes. "I could do it."

"Bahaha, Rudolf would rip you apart. And then what would I do without my best friend?"

"Again, those would just be details." She sighed, leaning back again. "You could talk him into it if you put your heart into it."

I paused, unsure. "Well… what if I don't really want to be a vampire?"

"What?" Larissa said with a laugh. "You don't want all of these wonderful vampie perks?"

From there, we went into a discussion about what exactly all the perks would be. It surprised me just how many there seemed to be with the one exception that, oh hey, you can't do it in the day time. And there was something about the way Ashlyn described travelling all over Europe— from seeing all of the wonderful scenery, to meeting the different people, to even meeting other vampires. She had given Larissa a smirk before she practically launched herself at the blonde, messing up her hair before falling into the space between her and I, smiling up at the ceiling. "I wouldn't have met Issy. She's basically m'soul mate."

"Your soul mate? Isn't that Anna? Or your husband? Or… whoever?"

"Your soul mate can be your best friend, boy-o."

"_Duhhh_."

The duh made me think of Rudolf and I just smiled. He was my best friend. And I wouldn't mind if he was my soul mate. I wouldn't mind travelling around the world with him for three hundred years, waiting to see if we maybe we'd become human again. And if we didn't, what would it matter? We'd be with each other.

Our conversation eventually drifted away from my worries and moved on to the vampires sprawled next to me. I learned about their lives before being vampires, how they were changed, and how they all wound up in Scotland. They talked about Mariah a little, but Ash quickly quipped in how she didn't care all that much for Brian still because he was always taking Mariah away. I liked watching them just talk. Ashlyn had such drastic facial features and when she would get excited would start making wild hand and arm gestures. Larissa would be the voice of reason, but she'd always laugh at the brunette's antics and take on things. Sometimes Ash would get the blonde on little tangents about something, which usually lead to the craziest of things, but in the end we'd all be laughing. From just watching, anyone could tell they were close and I felt special because I was being included on all of it.

When conversation finally trailed into silence, we lay sprawled over each other and the bed. I had my head on Larissa's legs, who had her head on Ashlyn's back, who laid, her arms folded, resting on my stomach. "Christ, I don't think I've had a conversation like that in a long time…"

"Haha, I don't think I've had a conversation like that since ever."

"Baw, Tony, you're one of us now."

"Yes! Which means we'll be callin' you at unreasonable hours of the night to have ridiculous conversations with you."

I laughed, which made Ashlyn shoot me a look— apparently I was disrupting her position.

"What time is it?"

Frowning, I lifted my head off Larissa's legs to glare at her. "No, you don't get to ask what time it is. Whyyy? Are you guys going to leave?"

Ashlyn glanced back at the blonde, then to me, "Well, we can't exactly spend the night."

"Why not? I sleep with Rudolf all the time—" As soon as the words had left my mouth, I immediately regretted the choice of words. Their eyes widened and they grinned.

"Ohhh, Tony, how risqué."

"An' you're only seventeen. The cradle-robbin' sexual deviant..."

"Guuuuyyysss," I whined, flailing my arms in their general direction. "That's not what I meant and you know it."

Shaking her head, still chuckling, Larissa asked, "You really have no problem with two vampires sleeping in your room?"

"I don't even care."

"Blimey... weirdo."

After a little more persuading on my part for them to stay, they finally settled into bed, one on each side of me, before we started talking again. They lead the conversation back in the direction of the comet and Rudolf, but they didn't give me anything concrete. How could they though? They were just as unsure of the amulet being found as I was… and I was one of the ones who was supposed to be looking for it. And just when I thought they had finally subsided into silence to let me get some sleep, I felt a cool arm on my chest and Ashlyn leaned over me. "Pst. Issy…?"

"What?"

"Why don't you look at me when we make love?"

"Because we don't."

Momentary pause. "Killjoy."

I broke into a fit of laughter, which really could be considered hysterics at this time of night, but it wasn't bad, because the vampires on both sides of me laughed too, and our laughter rang in my ears even as I drifted off to sleep.


	9. I Can't Do This

A/N:

Good gracious. I know the last thing you all want to do is read some boring rant… so, if you'd like, haha, have it. But, I do apologize for taking so god damn long. Things have been a bit— okay— one _hell_ of a roller coaster for me this semester. On the other hand, I'm done for a couple of months, and I'd like to finish this before it hits its one year mark, so you can— hopefully— be expecting updates at much regular pace.

Thank you all for your patience and support. I love you. Really. So, go on. Go and read. And finally enjoy why this is rated 'M', haha.

* * *

**Wednesday**

"Tony, boy-o, wake up."

Groggily, I sat up, yawning. "Mnn?"

"Come here, boy-o, give us a hug."

Arms enveloped me, and I rubbed at my eyes a little, trying to figure out what time it was. Well, damn. It was already five thirty; I'd have to get up like an hour… "Why are you, mng, going?" I asked, unable to repress another yawn.

Even in the dark, I could see Ashlyn smile at me. "Because we have to go, we can't stay here any more. We, unlike your boyfriend, actually sleep during the day. Besides, you can bet that you'll be seein' us between now an' Saturday."

Larissa ruffled my hair. "Have a good day at school, Tony."

"Thanks," I mumbled, hauling myself out of bed to follow them to the window. "Hope you find a good place to stay… have a good day's sleep."

After I watched them hop off my balcony, scale our gates, and speed away in their car, I yawned again, shutting the window before flopping back on my bed. I was still so tired. And it seemed like the moment I had hit the bed, my alarm was going off again; I groaned, trying to drag myself out of bed. The morning routine seemed to be carried out in a haze, because the next thing I realized, my teacher was handing me a test and I had no idea how I'd even gotten to school. I really ought to stop staying up so late with the undead.

Since I really had no idea what the test was on, I sped through it, writing down answers I thought sounded reasonable. My mind wandered; to what? My favorite subject, of course. But seriously? Jesus— he loved me. I had to see him tonight. I couldn't believe it had taken me that long to figure it out… Even if I hadn't completely managed to figure it out, you would have thought that him kissing my shoulder would have sparked something in my thoughts… okay, sure, I was blowing chunks, but still… that isn't exactly typical best guy friend behavior.

I sighed, looking down at the test, resting my chin on my hand. How would I even approach him? I knew so much more about him now and he didn't even know I knew it. What was I supposed to say "Oh, hey, so I know about Hadrian, man that really sucks, but I'm glad you're over him now." …oh, hell. I buried my face in my hands, shaking my head. This was just ridiculous. How was I ever going to manage to face him if I couldn't even sort this all out in my own mind? Was I even supposed to let him know I even knew about his trauma? Or was that one of those weird, let's-not-talk-about-it kinds of things? I don't think I would want to talk about it. I would have spent all three hundred years mourning the loss of the one I loved… the one I inadvertently killed.

How had he managed not to turn entirely to self-loathing? Maybe he was emotionally stronger than anyone really took him for… And even then, how could I, out of everyone he could have come in contact with, how could I be the one he had fallen in love with? What was it about me that he was in love with? I was by no means some one a vampire should love. If anything, I should be seen as dinner. Kind of how Gregory would see me—

I bolted up right in one of my classes, from having been slumped over, doodling on my paper; _Gregory_… My eyes narrowed. What a bastard! How dare he do something like that to Rudolf? How could anyone violate some one like that? How come he wasn't disowned? Or, really, why wasn't he dead? Obviously, his parents didn't know… or if they did, then I, frankly, wouldn't know what to do with myself. Had Rudolf gotten over that? He and Gregory always seemed on edge around each other; but then again, they hardly seemed to talk either. Rudolf had forgiven Anna… but maybe not Gregory? Or maybe he had, and I just didn't know. Christ! What was wrong with this family?

But that didn't even answer the most pressing question. How was I going to face him? You never really did look at the person in the same way once you had developed a giant fucking gay crush on them… Especially considering this was my best friend; my only friend, really, but my best friend, nevertheless. And what if I did something that shoved him away? Then I would be relatively crushed _and_ friendless. But I had to face him eventually; it wasn't like I could just keep avoiding him. I sighed.

"Mr. Thompson?"

I looked up, blinking back into reality. "Huh?"

"Is there something you need from me?"

Glancing around the empty classroom, I suddenly shook my head, sitting up a little straighter. How long had class been out? "Uh, no, sorry." Scooping up all of my things, I tossed them into my backpack, practically dashing out of the room. …just what all had I done today? Oh… shit. Well, great. That was one test and a pop quiz that I had no doubt failed, plus three lectures I had zoned out on… hm, I guess as far as I was concerned, that pretty much could be classified as a productive day.

Getting home and getting to my room was something else that was carried out in the same emotionless trance I had been in all day. I wish I could say that I actually did something other than lay curled up on my bed dreading confronting my vampire friend, but that would definitely be a lie. How could I do anything else? Even before this grand epiphany, he made doing homework difficult… and now we added the fact he loved me into the equation? Yeah, good luck getting me to do homework ever again.

Finally, there was a knock at my window and my pulse immediately spiked and I'm fairly certain my heart actually managed to skip a beat. I ran over everything in my head, trying to talk myself into staying calm. But, holy shit, how could I? It was the moment I had been anticipating and dreading all day! Geez, I felt so giddy, I was practically slapping my face to get myself to chill out. As forced as I could manage, I took very slow, very... not-as-calm-as-I-would-have-liked steps towards the window before finally pulling back the window curtain and seeing the face that had occupied my thoughts for days.

His face lit up as I let him in, putting one of his hands on my shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Tony. I see you're feeling better."

"Yeah, I am—"

"I hate to ask this of you, but may I borrow some of your clothes?"

One of my eyebrows rose, scanning the pale face. "Uh, I guess. What do you need them for?"

A slightly remorseful look crossed his features. "I have a prior engagement…"

I did absolutely nothing to hide how disappointed I was. "What?" No, this was not how today was supposed to be! I had so much I had to talk to him about! Even if I didn't manage to do any talking, at least I would have been around him. "I thought you said yesterday you'd be back today… you didn't say anything about having something else to do!" I whined, my shoulders slumping.

He nodded solemnly, meeting my gaze. "I realize this, but I learned that some one else is in a bit of a predicament and they could probably use my assistance. I really do apologize, Tony, it's rude of me to even insist, but may I please borrow your clothes for tonight?"

Staring up at him for another unbearably long moment, I finally sighed, defeated, trudging into the closet. "Fine." There was no way that my clothes would fit his body— even the boxers I had lent him last week had been tight— oh, wait. There were those clothes my dad had grown out of long ago and had thus been stored in my closet… in some crazy, vain hope that I'd get bigger. But where were they? Looking around, I finally spied them on the top shelf, and I reached up, trying to grab the box they were in. Scowling, I got on my tip-toes, my hands just barely brushing the bottom of it. However, hands were on my sides, lifting me up to the shelf, and I blushed a little, quickly grabbing the box and purposefully dropping it on the vampire's feet— it's not like he'd feel it, anyways. "I don't need your help, I could have gotten it myself." I murmured, glowering as I tried to wriggle out of his grasp.

"You're angry with me…" He didn't even blink when I backhanded his chest, finally letting me go.

"I am; so hurry up and change and go." So, I wasn't really angry… I was just ridiculously jealous of whoever this other person was. Stalking out of the closet, I flopped myself down on the bed, busying myself with reading my textbook. Well, that was another lie. I was too busy listening to the rustling of the clothes and the box and the soft sound of him undressing to do anything other than re-read the same line six times.

However, when he stepped out of the closet, asking gently "How do I look?" I didn't look up, and I could hear him sigh. When he got to the window, he tried again. "I truly am sorry, Tony… please, don't be upset with me…" I still didn't look. He sighed again.

Well, damn me and my stubbornness straight to hell. I didn't even get to see what he looked like and now he was gone, I wouldn't see him for another day, and knowing him, he'd probably stay away even longer than necessary just to let me calm down. Shit, shit, shit! I chucked my book off my bed, and buried my face into my pillow, yelling into it.

From that moment, I had resigned myself to stubbornly angsting in my room for the rest of the evening, unconvinced that there was some other way I could have screwed up less.

However, during my moping session, my mother came into my room, looking half irritated, half surprised. Her arms were folded, eyebrows raised. "Tony, you know you're grounded…"

"Yeah…?"

"So, you have absolutely no idea why there's a young man at the door asking to see you?"

"Uh…" I sat up, walking over to the door, glancing out into the hallway. "Who?" Oh, dear God, don't let it be one of the McAshton brothers. There was no way I was going to have the patience to deal with either of them.

Letting out a soft scoff as she followed behind me, "You're trying to tell me that you didn't invite anyone over? You didn't tell your friend you were grounded?"

Friend? My eyes widened slightly, did he really—? I barreled down the stairs, half-stumbling into the living room. Oh my God.

"Hello, Tony."

"Rudolf…" I beamed at him. The sneaky bastard. "What are you doing here?" And damn, for being over three hundred and fifty, he sure could clean up well— for a modern look, anyways. He wore old, slightly faded blue jeans, but it looked like he had done a number on one of the knees, ripping it up. He was wearing a dark red polo shirt and the white vest, undone, had made another appearance. His hair looked fixed; poor thing, he must have been jumped by Anna.

Brandishing a handful of books— were those the ones I had borrowed from the library? How had he gotten a hold of them?—, he smirked, "We're supposed to be working on our History project, remember?" Looking up and behind me, he sent my mother an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Thompson… he didn't tell me he was grounded… I hope you'll still let him work on this with me…"

His charm seemed to work just as well on her as it did on me. "Oh… of course, dear. I wouldn't want your History grade to suffer." She hesitated a moment, before adding "Would you want to stay for dinner?"

"I wouldn't want to impose—"

"Yeah, he's staying."

"Oh, good, I'll go let your father know," she said, glancing at me, giving my arm a gentle squeeze. I guess the aspect of meeting my one and only friend, at least to her knowledge, had out-weighed the fact that I was supposed to be grounded for all eternity.

A venomous look replaced the grateful smile once my mother had disappeared to go find my dad. "I can't eat your food…"

I smirked, "Well, that's what you get for pulling this little stunt."

"What? I can't come over and meet your parents?"

"Bull shit, you aren't here to meet them."

A cool smile tugged at his lips as he looked away from me, scanning the living room. "Guilty as charged, I suppose."

"And besides, when did you even take those?" I asked, motioning to the books.

"You'll never know."

Shoving my hands into my pockets, I momentarily leaned up against the wall. "Then how did you know I was grounded?"

Shifting the books under his arm, he looked back at me, "A couple of little birds told me."

I couldn't decide if I wanted to hit or hug Larissa and Ashlyn next time I saw them. Although, I was relatively surprised that they had stayed over at the Sackville-Bagg's place considering Anna had Ashlyn all sorts of emotional. "And how did you know this had been deemed a history project?"

"I'm not an idiot, Tony."

I laughed before adding, teasingly, "Could have fooled me."

We wandered into the kitchen where we immediately spread out all of the books on the table. My dad looked up at the noise, and wiped his hands on a towel. He scanned Rudolf over, which made me feel just a little bit nervous, but when he sent me a questioning look I finally realized what he was doing. "Oh, sorry, dad, this is Rudolf, Rudolf, that's my dad… and you already met my mom."

Rudolf straightened up, standing just a little taller than my dad as he walked over to him, hand extended. "Mr. Thompson, very pleased to meet you." Suck up.

"Oh? You're British?"

The vampire nodded, retreating a little bit away from my father, so he could give him a less conspicuous smile, "Yes, sir. My family and I moved up from Kent at the beginning of the summer."

Half turning back to the stove, he stirred something in a pot, before asking, "What brought you all here?"

"Family reasons mostly, but since they've sort of subsided; we've just seemed to taken a liking to the area."

My dad nodded. "Yeah, it's pretty nice here. Oh, so Dottie told me you're going to be staying for dinner. We're having steak. How would you like yours cooked?"

I watched him falter a moment, but he didn't look at me. Was he going to be able to handle this on his own? Did he even know what he was supposed to be saying?

"As raw as you feel comfortable cooking."

"Rare?"

"Actually, rarer than rare, if you wouldn't mind." He let out a slightly uncomfortable laugh, finally looking to me— well, it was more like he was trying to discreetly glare at me. "Bloody is good. But most often when I say this, everyone is worried about giving me undercooked meat, but my family eats it fairly rare…"

My dad had an eyebrow raised, but he just gave a soft chuckle, setting one of the stirring spoons down and making his way to the backdoor to return to the grill. "Sure thing, kid."

We spent what felt like hours pouring over books— fact: it was only about thirty minutes; fact: he poured over books, I was still too distracted trying to figure out how I was going handle interacting with him after we were done playing these human charades. Exasperated, for the real reason, rather than the crest-hunting, I sighed loudly, letting my face hit the book on the table. Under the table, I felt Rudolf nudge my knee with his, but then my mom came up behind me, running a hand through my hair.

"Why don't you boys take a break? Dinner's pretty much done. If you can clear off the table, I'll go ahead and set it."

It looked as if Rudolf had suddenly remembered that he had to eat our food and he sent me a particularly irritated look. He watched me give an innocent smile, before he rolled his eyes, trying to hide the smile that wanted to grace his mouth. We quickly cleared the table of the books, his fingertips occasionally brushing my hand— he was doing absolutely nothing for my nerves. Moving back into the living room, we could hear my mom start to set the table behind us.

"Do you remember how I said I owe you so much?" Rudolf asked in a hushed whisper, his breath tickling the hairs on my neck.

Automatically moving my shoulders up in a shrug, before turning to face him, I nodded.

"Well, considering you're forcing me to eat your nasty human food, I'd say I am no longer in your debt."

"Stop being such a pansy, Rudolf. It's meat. There's bound to be some blood in it."

His eyes narrowed. "I wasn't talking about the steak; I was talking about the salad. Do you have any idea just how long it's been since something green has been in my mouth?"

Why did the words 'in my mouth' stand out so much more than the rest of the sentence? I gaped at him. "Um…" I finally managed. "A while…?"

"Yes, it's been _quite_ a while," he hissed.

Frowning a little, I gestured to the door. "Well, if you're so pissed about being here and having to eat with us, then why don't you just leave? The door's right there and none of us are making you stay…" While I hadn't intended on sounding equally as pissed as I accused him of being, that's how it had apparently come off, because I watched his lips pull into a hurt frown. I sighed, "No, I didn't mean that I want you to leave, but really… if you don't want to eat with us, I'll just tell my parents you had to leave."

For only a moment he was quiet, before he shook his head stubbornly. "No… I can stay."

And I was very delighted, to say the least.

"Boys, you coming back?" My mom called from inside the kitchen.

"Yeah, sorry. We're coming." And I smirked at Rudolf's sarcastic 'after you' sweeping motion of his arm. However, I did lead the way back to the table, and as much as I had become acquainted with his stare, as pretentious as it probably made me, I could feel his stare sweep over my entire backside, which, of course, made me turn quite the unflattering shade of red, I was certain. On my way to my seat, I yanked out his chair before plopping down on my own.

"Thanks, Tony."

"Um… yeah." I mumbled, still blushing.

Our soft side conversation didn't have a chance to progress because my dad came striding back into the room, proudly depositing the plate of stakes on the table. I looked up into his face as he took a moment to marvel at his handiwork and I couldn't help but smile a little; having Rudolf over was the first time he had really gotten to showcase his grilling abilities, and from the look of things, he just might have over-done himself.

As my mother sat down, she smiled up at my father. "Bob, honey, would you mind saying grace?" Realization donned on her face as she looked over to Rudolf. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Oh, not at all."

Instinctually, we all held out our hands, Rudolf's expression faltering slightly. Hesitantly, he gripped my father's hand lightly, whereas his grip on my hand, I noted, was just a little more sincere. Red eyes sought out mine and I simply smiled, bowing my head and closing my eyes.

The prayer was simple, thanking the Lord for the day, our blessings, etcetera, etcetera, and today, thank you Lord, for our company, Tony's friend, Rudolf. I squeezed his hand for emphasis. Yes, thank you, God, for bringing this beautiful vampire to keep me company and giving me some one to be in love with.

He squeezed back.

Then there was a soft, spoken chorus of amens. A beat of silence, then my dad was animatedly dishing steak onto everyone's plate and the side dishes were being passed around the table as polite conversation filled the room. We talked about Rudolf for a while, things I found myself a little proud of knowing, we talked about the weather, sports, and unfortunately, but inevitably, school.

"So, what exactly is this project of yours supposed to be about?"

I had taken a bite of steak, sending a look Rudolf's way, before he quickly shoved a piece of meat into his mouth. Apparently, I was going to answer the question. I held up a finger; what was I going to tell them? After swallowing, "Uh, we're supposed to… um, find a family we can trace back to Scotland's origins…"

"Shouldn't that be easy, considering all of those books?" My dad asked, pointing towards the books that now sat in our living room.

"Well, kind of…" What else was I supposed to say? "Everyone in class is pretty much doing their own names, and since, obviously, Rudolf's British and our genealogy is more English that Scottish, we have to find one… or at least find a way that our roots somehow intertwine with Scottish ones. And it's proving to be just a little difficult."

My dad stood up and reached over to the small table that sat below one of the kitchen windows. "So, I don't suppose seeing the McAshton crest is going to be much help, is it?"

He handed me the paper, with the crest at the top. I about choked on another mouthful of steak. Oh, my God! This was the crest from my vision! Seeing my expression, Rudolf leaned over; he must have been about as stunned as I was because he nudged my leg with his foot— which felt much more like a scoring soccer goal kick on my shin— and I groaned, sending a glare his way. "Yeah, _I know_…" I growled at him, pulling my leg as far away from him as I could.

"Know what?"

"Oh…" Why did I have to keep opening my mouth just to cause more grief for myself? "Rudolf's just mad because the McAshton boys are just as much jerks to him as they are to me."

Looking a little offended, "Nonsense, I'm just surprised to think how easy it must be for everyone else in class to do this assignment."

"So what do you think of the McAshton boys, Rudolf? Tony has quite the opinion of them." My mother said a little slyly, sending a glance my father's way. Maybe they were debating the accuracy of my accusations of them?

He looked down at his plate, pushing pieces of lettuce around, before peeking back up at her through his dark lashes. "They're certainly… _aware_ of their social standing, there is no doubt of that. They are rather cruel to Tony, though. But I think we've taught them to leave him alone, haven't we, Tony?"

A shiver coursed through me as his gaze met mine, but I could have laughed at the statement. Taught them a lesson? Try traumatize them for life. "Mmhm," I hummed, a smile betraying the seriousness I was trying to maintain.

The conversation was whisked away by my parents, prying more information about Rudolf, how we'd become friends, until we were just talking around cold food. By then, Rudolf politely cleared his throat, shifting a little in his seat. The fact of knowing who the crest belonged to obviously weighed heavily on his mind; he had been fidgeting for the past half hour. "I really do appreciate tonight, but I did tell my parents I wouldn't be too long. Thank you so much for allowing me to intrude on your evening." When he stood, it seemed as if all three of us Thompsons scrambled to get to our feet as well, all of us vying for his attention— even my dad seemed to be charmed by him.

"Oh, it's no problem at all!" My mom said, giving him a warm smile. "Feel free to come over any time. It was so nice to finally meet you."

My dad nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and if your dad ever wants to play a round a golf, or just wants to come over, feel free to bring your entire family."

Rudolf offered them a stunning smile before saying, "I will; thank you so much." We walked towards the door, him veering me off to grab some of the books we had moved earlier. While sorting through them, very softly, he whispered "Be in your room as soon as you can." Straightening, he nudged my arm as he opened the door. "Maybe we'll actually find something soon, Tony. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah… see you."

Once I shut the door behind him, I was ready to bolt up to my room, only to remember my parents were standing expectantly behind me.

"He seems like he's a nice young man. A bit taller and… more mature than I was expecting. Is he really only a senior?" I made another motion to go towards the stairs and my mother made an impatient huff. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"I… well, I don't know—"

I sighed. "He's a great friend, really. I'm glad you guys like him. Thanks for letting him stay for dinner. But I really want to get this project done so I don't have to worry about it anymore. So, if I have your permission to be studious, I'm going to go now…" My eyebrows were raised, as if I was really trying to get my point across. In actuality, I could care less about being studious. Besides, this project wasn't even real. They were keeping me from Rudolf. That was not okay. Without waiting for said permission, I continued up the stairs.

"Tony, your books?"

"I'm using the computer!" I shouted back, barricading myself in my room before I was scooped up into strong, cool arms, Rudolf's face buried in my neck. Wrapping my arms around his neck in a brief hug, I beamed at him. "We finally found it!"

Grinning, he sent us shooting out the window, flying towards their new home faster than we had ever flown before. Instead of going over the countryside, like we had a couple of times before, we headed towards the coast, towards a remote part of it that I hadn't really seen much of. I could have sworn I saw a car parked on the edge of a cliff before Rudolf plunged downward, sending my stomach up towards my throat; I grasped at his arm with my other hand, trying to pull myself closer. If he was doing this on purpose, I was going to kill him.

The sea crashed against rocks and sprayed us with a light mist before we plunged into a world of darkness— a cave?— and Rudolf gently placed me down, letting me keep my grip on his arms as my eyes slowly adjusted to the dark.

"Tony, boy-o!" A whooshing sound filled my ears and Rudolf effortlessly picked me up, holding me out of reach, as a gust of wind passed over both of us. I squirmed around in his grasp, looking at the cave's entrance, spying a wicked grin in the moonlight. "Rudy, let's remember to share, yeah?"

Rudolf passed me on to another set of arms, ones that hugged me gently, so I assumed it was Larissa, and I could hear a grin in his voice as he said, "I'd rather fight you for him."

I blushed at the words and it didn't help that Larissa squeezed my side in a teasing way.

I could practically hear her roll her eyes as she murmured "Dumb."

"I can arrange that, Rudolf." Ashlyn practically purred, before launching herself at him.

He caught her, tucking her under his arm before scooping me out of Issa's grasp and trading her Ashlyn; it wasn't long though, before I heard a thud. It seemed as if Larissa wasn't particularly thrilled with this trade-off. "That really should wait." A grin pulled further at his lips, revealing his dangerous set of teeth. "Father!" The word echoed for what seemed to be forever, before a thunderous "What?" came bouncing back at us. How big was this underground cave? Knowing them, it probably was as expansive as the underground mausoleum they used to inhabit.

By now my eyes were finally adjusted enough to make out the dark shapes of the vampires, and much to my dismay, Lord and Lady Sackville-Bagg were now among us.

"We've brought you excellent news. Tony, why don't you tell him?" He set me down, almost presenting me to his parents. Part of me wondered if this scenario would play out one day, except it would be me, telling them I was in love with their son and would like their blessing. …a strong gut feeling told me that I wouldn't last very long after those words left my mouth.

"We, um, we found the crest, sir. It belongs to the McAshtons."

I wonder if his stoic facial features changed. I'm willing to bet not. "Oh, have you?" His voice was flat, almost uninterested.

Rudolf's mother, however, reached out to embrace me. "Thank you, dear Tony. You have been so wonderfully helpful and kind to us!" Yeah… I liked his mother a whole lot more.

Shrugging, "Don't worry about it."

"Shall we act on this information, father?" The sudden, low rumble of Gregory's voice had me stumbling back until I was pressed up against Rudolf, whose stance changed immediately.

"Tomorrow, perhaps." As if he thought my information was faulty. Douchebag. "We have guests. Hunting will come first; if we have time tonight, then we shall." What the hell? Wasn't he supposed to be in a rush? The comet was coming on Saturday and yet he was nonchalantly taking this discovery with a grain of salt and then going to dinner? Jesus.

Having maneuvered me behind him and towards Larissa and Ashlyn, his interest seemed a bit more piqued. "Hunting?"

His mother nodded. "Of course, dear. As helpful as the cows were the other night," the Lady had sent me a polite look and a kind smile, she then turned back to her son, "I think we could all stand for another helping."

There was fluttering behind us and I turned, poking my head over Larissa's shoulder just in time to see Anna transform into her human self. She sniffed the air before her face seemed to light up a little. "Tony?"

"Hey, Anna."

She pulled me a little away from the others, continuing to speak to me, despite Rudolf and Gregory speaking to their parents. Maybe she noticed that I was trying to listen to what the others were trying to say or maybe she just had a habit of speaking loudly. Either way, she was all I could hear. "When did you get here?"

"Oh," I started, trying to catch bits and pieces of what was being said. "Not that long ago."

And it looked as if Anna was about to say something else, when Rudolf quickly interjected. "All right, then I suppose I ought to take Tony home."

Home? I turned to face him. No, no, no. I needed to talk to him. I swallowed. This was it. This was the moment that the entire day had been leading up to. Come on, Tony, you can do it. "Um, actually, can I talk to you before you take me home?" I felt more than Rudolf's eyes on me— presumably Anna's, Larissa's, and Ashlyn's, well… everybody's, I supposed—, and I turned slightly so his body blocked their view of me, mouthing "Alone."

One of his eyebrows arched in an unasked question, but he nevertheless nodded, and glanced over his shoulder at the others. "I suppose I'll see you all later."

Even I could sense Anna's radiating jealousy. "But hunting, brother—"

"You'll just have to go without me." Did he really give her a devious smirk? Good Lord, if this was friendly sibling rivalry, I'd hate to see them when they were mad at each other. But before I could give this any more thought, he guided me out of the dark cave, his fingertips pressed against the small of my back.

"What was—" I started to ask before he put his finger to his lips, motioning behind us with a small nod of his head. And then his hand slipped off of my back and into my hand. I shivered as we lifted off the ground and wind was rushing around us, filling my ears with a shrill whistle.

At first, I wondered where we were going, but as we continued to fly, I realized, of course, where else would we go? We landed on the blimp and it wasn't long before I was sitting cross-legged and he was reclining back on his arms; it was really almost like déjà vu of the first night we had met. "Anna's just jealous because it seems as if the rest of us have spent more time with you than she has." Was that the gleam of victory in his eyes? However, before I had even gotten a chance to ask him anything that I had finally managed to construct over the course of the day, he leaned towards me, bringing his fingertips to my neck; I shuddered.

"Rudolf…?"

"Ever since I've met you, your veins have fascinated me. I can smell the blood racing through you… and even when you sleep, the pulsing of your life is so… captivating." Leaning in towards me, I felt the tip of his nose graze the side of my neck and I shivered; God, had he forgot just how sensitive my neck was? I think he might have, because he showed absolutely no signs of moving, inhaling the scent of my blood only protected by a thin layer of skin; skin that could be easily punctured by a pair of sharp canines.

Subconsciously, I leaned in a little, exposing my neck more. Part of me wondered what he would have done if I had asked him to bite me and turn me into a vampire right then and there… Oh, hell. That was it… I had to bring it up; it was something that was going to drive me mad until my dying day if I continued to try to suppress the desire to ask. "Rudolf… I… well… the thing that I needed to talk to you about…" Why was it so hard to broach this? He loved me. I loved him. Why was telling him that I knew and that I loved him too so… difficult?

Pulling away from me, he bore into my eyes, looking attentive. "What is it, Tony?"

"Um… so, you remember how on your birthday, Anna was in my room when you came back?" He nodded and I swallowed, forcing myself to look down at my hands. "Well, she kind of told me that… well—"

The vampire tensed, and peeking up at him, I could see that he was looking off, away from me.

God, this wasn't supposed to be so dramatic and awkward. "That you love me…" He didn't move. "And… I—"

"Oh, she told you that, did she?"

The tone of his voice stopped me cold. …did that mean he didn't? I tried to brush off the sense of panic and rejection. Should I confront him about that first? Or should I just spit it out? "Um… does that mean it's not true?"

Suddenly turning as if he was determined to set the record straight, he almost immediately looked taken aback at the dejected look in my eyes, his tense, guarded tone softening. "Ah, I- Tony, that's—"

I looked back down at my hands.

"I-… God," he looked away again too, "Maybe this will ruin our friendship and maybe you'll never want to see me again, but no. It is true… it seems as if I've fallen in love you, Tony. I know that's an awful thing to say, but—"

"I love you, too…" I quickly whispered, daring a look at his face.

There was nothing slow about the way he looked at me, all of a sudden; his jaw unhinged as his eyes scanned my blushing face. And the next thing I knew, he was leaning towards me, cupping my face in his strong, cool hands.

As his lips met mine, all the doubt in my mind about this not being right, or even if we should start anything before the comet got here, left me. Sure, I had kissed Emily and it had been good, but there had never been that jolt of electricity. I used to think that describing kissing the one you absolutely meshed with as electric was ludicrous and relatively unreasonable… but now that it had happened, I had to agree full-heartedly. It was like little painful, but a little exciting… you wanted more of it to numb your mind so you could just fall into the moment.

Suddenly, he pulled away, ruby eyes wildly scanning my face. "Tony… did you feel that?" His thumb brushed my lower lip and I shivered pleasantly under his touch.

Oh, thank the Lord, he felt it too!

I grabbed his jacket, yanking him back towards me— he must have moved on his own because he had been so stubborn and immovable the other night when he was trying to carry me off for his birthday— and nodded weakly. All I wanted was for him to kiss me again, but now, he wouldn't move, only inches away from my face. I wanted to scream. I groaned instead, dropping my hands from his collar.

He caught them, still staring at me. "Tony… I don't want to hurt you."

"Then don't."

"I'm a _vampire_…"

I looked back at him and rolled my eyes. "Yes, I realized that. I think it's kind of apparent that after day one I don't have any sense of self-preservation." Rudolf was still my perfect image of the Angel of Mercy and if he was the one who killed me, I would be perfectly fine with it.

"But—"

"Rudolf, just shut up and kiss me." If he wasn't going to come to me, I was going to him. I kneeled upwards, sending my mouth back at his. This time, thank God, he let me kiss him.

His arms wove around my waist and he leaned back, bringing me down on top of him. That though, was short lived. He rolled us over so he was once more pressed against me, running his hands through my hair as he guided the moment, always keeping me in check from getting over zealous. And all I really wanted to do was rip his clothes off of him and fuck him— …right, _fine_, so it was way more probable that it'd be him doing me, but God, right now I didn't even care. I wrapped my legs around his waist, trying to pull him down, closer to me.

He hesitated, his lips brushing the underside of my jaw. "Tony," he warned again, finally sitting back and staring me down. Maybe if his hair wasn't more messed up than normal or if he didn't look like he wanted to sex me too, maybe I would have taken him a little bit more seriously.

"Rudolf… can you pretend for a minute that you have no self control? Or am I going to have to get completely and totally wasted to try to seduce you into having sex with me?"

Oh, to see his colorless blush, his features twisting into embarrassment and surprise. "You… you remember?"

I smiled a little, grateful for our friends. "A couple of little birds told me."

He smirked, "I suppose we should be quite indebted to these obnoxious, winged gossips." But suddenly, he was serious again. "No, even if I have to leave you up here to do it, I will never let you ever become so intoxicated ever again. And if I were to have no self-control, then, I fear, you would already be among the living dead." Maybe that hopeful gleam in my eye was a little too obvious. "Don't you even think about that, Tony."

"Rudolf…" I whined, reaching up for him. "Please?"

Brows furrowed, he sighed. "Please, what? Bite you? No. Have sex with you? No. We shouldn't even being doing this… I… I don't think you realize just how difficult it is to walk this fine line with you."

Frustrated beyond all reason, I scooted out from underneath him, a plan already formulating in my mind. Fine. If I couldn't talk him into it, maybe I could still seduce him into it. "You're right… I have no idea…" I grumbled sarcastically. And without any further warning, I tugged down on my zipper, slipping my hand underneath the soft fabric of my boxers, letting a soft moan escape me at the contact. I watched his eyes grow wide. Generally, I would have tried a little harder to keep myself quiet, but hell, I was putting on a show. See? If I'm having a nice time having sex with myself, then if you, Rudolf, have sex with me, we can easily assume it will be great. If not better. Which it would be.

I think, to some degree, watching me bothered him; but then again, he hadn't forced himself to look away either. Maybe he was trying to sort it out quickly in his mind; weighing the pros and cons— hopefully the pros were winning. Tilting my head back, I whimpered, only managing to form the first syllable of his name.

His lips had found mine and he was straddled over me, his fingers gliding over face before teasing the sides of my neck, sending a rush of heat to what I grasped so carefully in my hand. "All right, fine," Rudolf whispered, "I believe you do have some idea." With that, he sat back, untangling himself from me.

Gently, he lifted me enough to pull both my pants and boxers around my knees. The vampire stopped, however, to un-do my shoes and pull off my socks before leaving my bottom half completely bare. For a moment, he simply stared at me, taking me in. With a soft smile, his hands trailed up my legs, before they came to rest hesitantly on my knees. A breathy sigh escaped me as he moved so his face was situated between my legs; his cool lips kissed the inside of my thigh, causing me to curl my fingers against the coarse material of the blimp below me. Purposefully, he left a trail of kisses, moving closer to my erection. Right as he was about to kiss it, red eyes looked up at me and I almost came right there, moaning.

"R-Rudolf…" I said shakily.

His lips were suddenly against me as he hummed out an innocent "Hmm?"

I threw back my head as he took me into his mouth. "Mmng— Ru-Rudolf…" He hummed again and I bit down hard on my lip. As he started moving, though, swirling me around his mouth, my hips bucked involuntarily, and I groaned as he abruptly released me back into the cool night.

"Tony…" The dark haired vampire bore into my face as he sat back; please don't start with the worried speech. "We can't do this… it's too dangerous."

So, I'd get turned into a vampire via blow-job. That didn't seem like too big of a deal to me. But Jesus _Christ_, I was way too hard to stop; I crawled up to him, my hands on both sides of his face, my lips finding his. "I don't care," I murmured into his mouth, trying to press myself further against him. By doing so, I could feel his growing need press hard against the underside of my naked thigh. He hissed. "Rudolf, please… I want you to… I want to be with you…" I slid my hands down his chest until I began trying to free him from his shirt— he just about ripped it right off.

"Damn everything, Tony…" He almost growled against my throat, his hands on my upper thighs, rocking me against him.

My stomach clenched and unclenched delightfully as arousal rolled through my body. "And I want to be with you… and- and… oh, oh, God—" Rudolf had taken me in his hand, stroking me with his long, firm fingers. "P-Please…" I whined, my forehead resting against his shoulder.

He moved so his mouth met mine, his tongue gently prodding in past my lips, once more sending another wave of arousal surging through my stomach. It was only a moment before he broke the kiss, his eyes closed, his face neutral, refusing me the pleasure of guessing what he was thinking. "It'll hurt…" Rudolf whispered after a moment, his crimson eyes finally opening. "I don't want to scare you or build this up into something it's not. For a while, it will hurt."

"Don't care…" I barely managed; I could hardly even think straight— he hadn't stopped touching me, his fingers tracing intricate designs along the length of me.

A soft amused sound caught in his throat, as he kissed me again. "My brave little human," he murmured into my mouth, his voice low, causing a chorus of shivers to run up my spine. Breaking the kiss, though, he slid two fingers into his mouth, before reaching around me, pressing his cool lips against my heated neck, finding my vein, my pulse the bass-line to this sexual symphony.

In the back of my mind, the sensible side of me was begging to get a grip, to see through this pleasure-induced haze; pain was coming and I was still blissfully unaware. However, despite the gentle warning he gave before prodding his fingers into me, I threw my head back— that hadn't been what I had been expecting at _all_. It was strange, a little uncomfortable, but between Rudolf still jacking me off and him starting to scissoring me out, it was blowing my mind. The heat was building in my lower stomach and I began rocking into him, my face pressed into his neck, making incoherent phrases that, to whatever degree meant _more_.

I could feel the vibrations of laughter against my face as he released me, stroking the back of my neck instead. "All in due time, Tony…"

Shaking my head, I started kissing along his jaw line until I reached his mouth. "N-mmn, n-no, now…" Clumsily I reached for the button on his jeans and he sighed. Gently placing me off of him, he stood, allowing me to watch the most sensual removal of pants the world might have ever seen. And, of course, after memorizing every single detail of his body, I blushed, realizing I had been staring for an excessive amount of time.

Kneeling back down, he flashed a rather dangerous looking smile, his canines catching the moonlight. "You seem—"

"Impressed." So what if I was stroking his ego? It wasn't all that far from the truth anyways. The vampire was fucking _endowed_.

If at all possible, the grin grew. Rudolf pulled me back onto his lap, his erection pressed firmly underneath me, finally tugging off my shirt. Kissing the hollow of throat, he murmured "Are you ready?" Before I gave myself any time to think about it, I nodded. He effortlessly lifted me a little, "Relax…" He continued, his voice low, soothing. "Ease into it. Do this at your own pace."

I held onto his shoulders, slowly pressed into the hardened tip, wincing. This was still so new, so foreign, so— oh my God— a white fissure of pain streaked across my vision and had to bite my hand to keep myself from crying out. It seemed though, that he had finally lost his self control, because his hands were on my thighs, moving further inside me, pressing further until he had completely filled me. I pulled hard at his hair, growling "Stop fucking moving!" through clenched teeth. My eyes were stinging as I closed them, my forehead was pressed roughly against his. "S-Stop…" I breathed, trying to adjust to the pain.

His breath was shaky against my neck as his arms wrapped around me. "I-I'm so sorry, Tony… I-I…"

"Shut up, stupid vampire…"

"We shouldn't d-do this, Tony; if I can't even control myself, I don't want to, to… to break you. You may think that this is all right, but you're so delicate… and I don't know what I would do without you."

Letting my hands trail down, I ran my fingers over the contours of his cool, marble face. "I won't break… just… go slower. Please."

"Oh, God, I'm so sorry—"

If moving would shut him up then, by God, I was going to have to become a masochist; I lifted up, causing another wave of pain to shoot through me… but at least it seemed to manage to steal whatever Rudolf was going to say next. Come on, Tony, I tried coaxing myself, just up and down, in and out… you'll get used to it. And soon, it became just that; it wasn't getting much better, but it wasn't getting worse.

"Tony, let me—" He pulled out a moment, only to reposition us. I was lying down against the blimp, him guiding my legs, up around his back. He smiled a little, kissing me breathless. "Are you ready?"

Confusion swept through me as I gave a curt nod; hadn't we already established this part of the evening? What was going to be so— _ohhhhh_… I saw stars again, but this time, it wasn't from pain. "Ru-Rudolf…" I moaned.

"Tony." The gentle, loving smile was in both his eyes and his voice. He pushed in again, eliciting the same response.

"Mmmn!" I arched my back.

And each time he drove further into me, I could feel the pleasure in me building, threatening to drive me over the edge. "Rudolf… _more_… Ru- I'm… I'm going, oh, God, I—" It was then when he covered my mouth with his and after another thrust, I spilled into a blissful oblivion, his hand stroking me as I rode out the orgasm. "_Rudolf_…" Holy fuck, that was— his body tensed as he moaned, coming, causing a shiver to go sweeping through me.

Staying inside of me, he rolled us onto our sides, our erratic breathing the only sound filling the silence. He kissed my face— my cheeks, nose, lips; he stroked my hair, my neck, my arms. He was the only thing my mind could register. My life, pre-Rudolf, suddenly didn't seem to matter; it was just him. He and I… us. I wanted to stay with him forever. I loved him. And if he wouldn't do it, then I would find someone else to turn me into a vampire. I nuzzled further into his chest, a drowsy smile tugging at my lips as he buried his face in my hair. I felt so fulfilled, so complete… so fucking tired…

As I yawned, he finally slipped out me, sitting up. Rudolf looked down at me, a light ripple of laughter filling the night.

"What?"

"I love you."

Words had never left me feeling so incredibly blissful; I beamed. He leaned down to kiss me again, his fingers playing along my ribs and chest.

"But come on, our detours are going to get us in trouble one day." I watched him get dressed, each article of clothing he slipped on elicited a '_boo'_ from me, but he just laughed again, tossing me my clothes. "Come on, get dressed… or do I have to come over there and help you?"

A laugh escaped me, albeit it wasn't as lively as his. Why? Because I was exhausted. "Dude, I can't even sit up… help."

Kneeling down, the vampire ruffled my hair, crimson eyes flitting over my face until he was satisfied that I was merely tired and not damaged in any way, shape, or form. At least he hadn't looked at my butt. I was fairly certain walking was going to be one hell of a challenge tomorrow. Carefully, he slipped the shirt back on me, even helping guide my arms through the sleeves; despite putting forth my best effort, I still felt relatively useless. Once my boxers, pants, and socks were back on, shoes loosely tied, he grabbed my chin kissing me softly. "There you are, my dear Tony."

"Thank you." …_for everything_.

Scooping me up, he cradled me to his chest as he stood, lifting off into the night. Struggling to stay awake, I focused on the face I had become so familiarized with. He had such a beautiful, defined profile; from his straight nose to his strong jaw… but there was still so much youth to him. Like the dimples that suddenly appeared on his cheeks when he caught me staring; "What?"

I smiled, pressing my face into his neck. "I love you."

Holding me a little closer, he seemed to slow down, the rush of wind around us no longer threatening to send me into an icy oblivion.

"Can I stay with you always?" I whispered, letting my eyes close.

Instead of answering me, though, he turned, pressing his lips against my forehead, then my nose, and finally my lips. Offering another soft kiss, he landed on my balcony, my eyes fluttering open just long enough to see him maneuvering inside before helping me into clean clothes and tucking me into bed. I didn't even have the energy to keep my eyes open, let alone to ask him to stay, but he sat on the side of the bed, running a hand through my hair. I smiled; or at least, I think I tried to smile.

I was almost asleep when a voice roused me back into a sliver of consciousness.

"I can't do this…"

Who had said that? Had I? Had he?

I felt his hands on both sides of my face before he kissed me. But the cool feeling that his body brought left and I slipped into an uneasy sleep, feeling the warmest I had all day.


	10. This Is A Tragedy

**Thursday**

When I woke up to my alarm, for once it seemed as if I had slept well and long enough to be awake. After swatting at the clock, I stretched, my arms and legs stiff, a painful ache greeting me. Despite it all, a groggy smile overcame my mouth as I turned, looking for Rudolf. The smile faltered. He wasn't next to me. I sat up, almost alarmed, scanning my room. Everything was quiet; my own breathing was loud— deafening— in my ears. He wasn't here.

I bit down hard on my lower lip. I didn't know how I should feel. I didn't know if this was normal. All I did know was, with the tang of blood now seeping from my lower lip, I felt horribly alone and, the back of my mind kept quietly voicing, used. Swinging my legs over the side of my bed, I stood, my legs trembling for moment before I winced, a momentary surge of pain rolling through me. And then his words, much like the ache from inside me, hit me, and frowning, I sat back down on my bed. He couldn't do this? Couldn't do what…? Be with me? …_why_?

For a while, I sat staring at my hands, my fingers curled up against my palms. I sighed, I needed a shower. So, trudging my way to the bathroom, I tended to the faucet, turning the water uncomfortably hot, but not quite scalding. However, instead of actually showering, I managed to sink to the bottom of the tub, my knees pulled to my chest, head ducked, the hot water running down me until the drumming of water droplets against my skin felt natural. I didn't know how long I had been in there.

There was a loud knock on the door, finally pulling me out of my daze. "Tony, honey?" A slight pause, "Tony? Are you all right? You've been in there for an hour and a half…"

I pulled my head up, rivulets of water running into my eyes. Had I? When had the water turned so cold? Wouldn't that make me late for school, though?

"I must have overslept, I'm sorry… are you almost ready? I can take you to school when you're done."

"Do I have to go?" I called back, half-heartedly slamming the faucet off.

She hesitated a minute as if she was trying to find a reason to let her motherly instincts outweigh the fact that I had already missed a day of school this week. "Why? Are you not feeling well?"

"I-…" It would be so easy to lie and say that I was… But hadn't I already pushed her a little too far this week? "Um… no…" I finally managed, shivering a little as I stood up, reaching out from behind the shower curtain, groping for my towel. "I sort of called Rudolf last night for some help and we got in an argument and he hung up on me… so… I don't really want to go."

I could hear her sigh from the other side of the door. "Tony, honey, if you're having problems, it's just best to confront them head on. Just try your best to work it out with Rudolf. He seemed like a very reasonable boy and if you offended him, just make an effort to reach out and apologize."

There was no winning this one. I got ready as slow as I could possibly manage, dragging out another half hour before my mother and I finally pulled up in front of the school. She patted my knee, handing me my note that said I had attended a doctor's appointment that morning and to please excuse my absence.

"Just try your best, sweetie."

Try my best at what? I thought miserably, watching her pull away. Trying to make amends with a friend who wasn't here? I trudged sluggishly towards my classroom after I had made the mandatory stop at the office. Trying to concentrate? Trying to deal with the fact I had woke up alone this morning? Especially after losing my virginity to someone I was arguably in love with? Maybe I should have told her all of this instead. I bet I would have gotten to stay home.

I slid into my seat without much fuss, yanking out my textbook just for the sole purpose of zoning out on it for the remainder of class. He couldn't do this? Just what the hell did that really mean? That… he couldn't be with me? Because I was… a human? Because… the allure of being a virgin was gone now? I scowled at the back of the kid in front of me, tugging at my hair in punishment for the general onset of pessimism. Rudolf wasn't that shallow… But surely, there had to be some reason. Was it that I just couldn't compare to Hadrian? Did I mess up somehow?

I sighed, this wasn't going the way it should have. Honestly, if he had something he needed to talk about, why couldn't he have just stayed until the morning so we could have talked about it? Or at least left a note… or something to at least reassure me that'd he be back or that he needed some time… But this! …this was so ambiguous and ridiculously unhelpful. I felt drained. Bringing my other arm down, I crossed them, before laying my head down. Wasn't he supposed to be the mature one? Couldn't he handle these things from a non-adolescent stand point by now? He had had three hundred and fifty years of practice; false advertising.

"Mr. Thompson?"

I peeked an eye open. "What?"

"Care to join us?"

"I'm paying attention…" I shot back.

The teacher looked skeptical. "Then what was the last thing I sa—"

"The Bank of Scotland was founded in 1695; it is the oldest surviving bank in the UK. It was also the first bank in Europe to print its own banknotes," I repeated in a bored monotone, shutting the teacher up and, again, shutting my eyes.

I wandered the halls to my next class. Who had decided school had to last for eight hours? I had even come in late and I was already annoyed with being here. It was a shame the school couldn't suddenly burn down or something…

Letting my thoughts on possible arson slip from my mind, I leaned forward on the desk, staring blankly at the chalkboard as the teacher wrote out the topic of the day's lecture on the board. I was glad my lab partner wasn't here and we weren't doing anything involving my absolute attention, because if we were working with chemicals, I'd probably be the sole reason why the school blew up… whether it was intentional or not would have been a toss up.

I zoned out for a while, coming back to something about ammonia… something… _something_… Ah. Well, there was a thought. He hated me because I had done something wrong. …_something_ wrong. And he couldn't do this because of… something equally as ambiguous. Joy. Yet as miserable as a conclusion I was drawing, it was even more miserable to realize that this is where most people started; I hadn't gotten anywhere with this. What _had_ I done to deserve this suddenly withdrawn contact?

There was a familiar prick at the corners of my eyes and I pressed the heels of my palms into them, willing the urge to cry away. What _was_ his problem? Did he feel like he was betraying Hadrian's memory? Couldn't he have worked those feelings out _before_ we had slept together? I puffed my cheeks out, rolling the idea around before sighing. I couldn't actually blame him for what had happened all those centuries ago, but I could, very much, blame him for leaving me in the middle of the night. Asshole. I dropped my hands, inadvertently glaring at a girl who had appeared in front of me.

She looked taken aback a moment before she gingerly asked "Are you all right? Do you need to go to the nurse? You don't look well…"

"I'm fine," I grumbled back, sending her retreating back to her friends. As I sat there, watching her go, I felt a surge of momentary desire to hit my head against something hard— I had just shot down my first extended hand of care at this stupid school. Thanks a lot, Rudolf.

As the day drug on, my sense of betrayal grew and I was festering in a giant annoyance for the vampire. It was finally the last class of the day and somehow I had managed to get a bit of a grip on reality. And no, I do not mean coming to terms with the way Rudolf left, I mean I was trying to pay attention. Emphasis on trying; I was scribbling out the answers of the latest in-class discussion of a math problem, intermittently switching back to doodling more arrows into Rudolf's head, because I was unconvinced he had enough.

Finally, thank God, the day was over. I paced impatiently outside, waiting for either one of my parents to show up. There was too much on my mind and I wished so badly for a moment I could have a clear mind. But even when my dad finally pulled up, he didn't give me the chance to let me think of nothing. When I opened the door to the car, he asked, "What's with the face, Tony?"

"I'm fine." I started, shutting the door and pulling on my seatbelt. "Just a rough day…"

His eyes were on the road, pulling out of the parking lot, but he spared me a glance. "Sorry to hear that, sport. Did you have any plans for today?"

"Not really…" It wasn't that I wasn't feeling conversational— although, I guess I really wasn't—, but he had just chose a bad day to try to be chatty with me. We fell into a semi-comfortable silence, him driving and me staring hopelessly out the window. Didn't rumor have it that parents were supposed to offer up invaluable dating advice? How exactly were mine supposed to react if I asked them what I ought to do during this situation? Generally, they'd probably manage something, but adding in the two very large, significant variables, the other person being a vampire and a man, I had no idea where that conversation would lead us.

The moment we pulled up, I was tempted to jump out, but I restrained myself, trying to seem a little more pleasant than how I had gotten into the car. The last thing I needed right now was my dad thinking I was upset with him.

I was unlocking the door when my dad caught up to me, briefcase in hand. "So, I asked if you had any plans because I actually have a business trip tomorrow. It's in Glasgow and I was planning on taking your mother with me. I figured since you do have a license, I was wondering what you thought of me leaving the other car with you?" He smiled, pushing the door open when I had been partially stunned by the idea. They had always been so reluctant to let me drive the car to school… "Is that all right?"

"Y-Yeah…" I felt the corner of my mouth turn up in a half smile. "That's a great idea."

He gave me a gentle pat on the back. "Of course it is."

Heading upstairs, the excitement of having the car stay with me had faded when my mind had inevitably wandered back to Rudolf. God! Why couldn't I stop thinking of him? Hopelessly, I tossed myself onto my bed, hoping to take a nap that would consume the majority of my night. But of course, after hours of nodding off before waking myself up again, tossing and turning, I resigned myself to trying to do homework. It didn't matter if it was right or not, it wasn't graded on correctness, just effort; never had been quite so grateful for the math teacher's homework policy. I got out the necessary things, the book, calculator, the paper, pencil…

But when it came down to it, I sat at my desk more concerned with twirling around on the computer chair than actually transferring the problem to paper.

What was I still doing here? Obviously, he wasn't going to come to me and I could only wallow in self-pity for so long. It was just as my mom had said all along… if I had offended him, I needed to make an effort and apologize. But who said it was even my fault? I hadn't done anything. My jaw tightened a little as I thought on it; yeah, I'd march down to the cliff and keep yelling at him until he came out. Or Anna, Larissa, or Ashlyn did. The three of them would no doubt be on my side and they'd at least help me into a position where I could see him and talk about why the hell he had spent all day avoiding me after we… Blushing, I frowned, rolling off the chair to get to my feet, well, maybe I would keep that detail between us until we had gone somewhere a little more private.

I all but stormed downstairs, feeling entitled and angry and—

"Well, don't you just look pouty?"

Stopping short at my mother's words, I slowed my march to an almost stumbling pace, staring at her with a deepening frown. "…what?"

As she was sitting on a stool at the island counter, a small laugh caught in the back of her throat. "You look like a man on a mission, Tony. It's the most animated I've seen you all day. What's going on?"

"I-… Can I take the car? Rudolf's been avoiding me all day and it's stupid, so can I go to his house and clear things up?"

My mother shrugged. "Aren't you supposed to be grounded?"

"Well… yeah… but…"

Her eyebrows pulled up in defeat as she waved me on, smiling. "Tony, if you need to make something right, I'm not going to stop you… but you're certainly pushing the boundaries of being grounded."

"I'll… do the dishes for the next week?" I offered. I didn't know why I was trying to bargain my way out of this; if she said no, I would have found a way to sneak out anyway. But, I had to give her credit; she was giving me a lot of leeway.

She looked back down to the magazine on the counter, flipping a few pages, before glancing up at me, smiling. "You got yourself a deal, mister. But don't be gone too long. I know it's sort of a spur of the moment thing, but your father and I are going to head to Glasgow for his business conference tonight. We're not going to be back until Saturday morning. It's going to be at least a three hour drive, so at least call if you're making progress and need more time. Even if I don't pick up, just leave me a message so I know you're home safe."

Oh, shit. That was right. They weren't going to be back— and I had to— the McAshtons— the comet— My mind was reeling. Why wasn't there enough time to do all of this in a calm, orderly manner? "Uh, is dad going to work on Saturday?"

"He should be, why?"

I gave a little shrug, smiling a bit, teasing, "If it's within my grounding limits, I was wondering if I could go to work with him."

She laughed, "Well, unless you and your father are going out for after-work drinks, I don't see any problem with it. Now you clear up things with Rudolf. And if he gives you any trouble, tell me and I'll go beat him up." Jokingly, she lifted an arm, kissing her bicep. "I can take him."

I returned the laugh, feeling the most relaxed I had all day. "Thanks, mom." This was so much more than I could have hoped for. As I picked up the keys, I leaned in, dropping a kiss on her cheek.

When I got in the car, the sun had just set, the sky still staining the horizon pink as a gust of wind rattled the car. Hopefully, it wouldn't bring in the storm that sat lurking on the opposite end of the sky. For a few minutes, I drove around, looking for scenery that looked familiar. When I past a cluster of trees, I realized I was on the right track. After a while, the road led into a field and I could see the faint tire tracks of what was probably Ashlyn's car; I only followed it for a few minutes before they stopped, a fence separating the field I was in to what lead to the coast. Sighing, I threw the car in park and hopped out. How had they managed to get their car all the way to the cliff? Had I imagined it? After I climbed over the fence, I stopped short, looking down at the field, finding my answer. The tire tracks were back. They could pick up cars? The thought made me feel a little on edge; I could almost imagine Larissa effortlessly lifting the car and tossing it over the fence to Ash… like it was a ball and not a two ton vehicle.

The wind blew against my back as I walked; it looked like the storm was getting closer and I was running out of available light to find him. What if I went too far and walked off the cliff? A little dramatic and semi-unreasonable, sure, but hopefully, Rudolf would feel guilty about ignoring me all of today. I continued to follow the tracks that the car had left, looking down at the faint trail in front of me so I wouldn't go stumbling over anything. As a gust of wind whistled around me, I shivered, looking up around at my surroundings. I felt my heart leap in my chest. There was a tall, silhouetted figure standing proud, arms folded tightly over his chest, facing the sea. Was that him? Had he smelled me coming? _Did_ he feel guilty and had come to meet me and apologize? Taking a cautionary step forward, I reached out a little, trying to call over the strong gust of wind. "Rudolf?"

At first, he didn't turn. Thinking he hadn't heard me, I called out again.

But in one of those moments anyone can swear by, the ones where time painfully slowed down, so every detail is perfectly punctuated and excruciating deliberate, I could almost hear my own voice, accusing Rudolf on my balcony for having exceptional hearing; the figure that turned towards me, looming and menacing, was not Rudolf. He had heard everything perfectly, ruby eyes glinting even in the darkness; I was going to die. Gregory and I were undeniably alone. My blood ran cold.

His smile was cruel as he was suddenly in front of me, the wind he created swirling with the gusts at my back, causing me to shudder. "Ah, and so the human returns in hopes of making amends…" He reached out, hand coming to rest on the back of my neck, his fingers curling into my hair.

"I- I don't understand…" Terrified, I stepped away, trying to shake him off.

Strangely enough, he let me. "You're disrupting the natural order of life. Humans are not to associate with vampires." He took a step forward again closing the distance between us, his cold, red eyes narrowed. "Even when one feels it necessary. Can you not look past your own selfish impulses and see the strain you are placing on my family? Do you honestly think you are making a difference with your so called attempt at aiding us in finding the amulet? You put our family at risk with your presence all the time. The lingering smell of you on Rudolf is bad enough, let alone showing up and proclaiming your human fancy to save us all…"

I floundered for something to say, gaping at him, rubbing my hands against my arms, trying to fend off the descending chill.

"You are the most pathetic, sorry excuse for a mortal I have ever laid eyes on. It's a mystery how Rudolf can be as infatuated as he is with you." He let out a huff of disapproval. "But I do suppose it isn't too far off his character, falling for helpless, lonely misfits; pitying them, being sympathetic to the dying."

Finally, I frowned, my sense of defense finally bubbling to the surface; yes, he had just called me pathetic but on several of those accounts, I agreed; this wasn't self defense, it was defense for the vampire that was currently missing in action. "Don't talk about him like that!"

"Why? Do you think you know him better than I do? Do you think your pubescent declaration of love is worthwhile and meaningful? Do you think it outweighs the centuries of living with him? Do you think it outweighs the familial ties that run through our aristocratic veins? Do you think that this one week has made a difference to him?"

The longer I stood there listening to his hateful words, being pelted by the first freezing drops of rain, resentment stewed within me. He was so cold, so _inhuman_— I couldn't stand it! And before I knew it, I was running my mouth off. "Maybe it doesn't mean anything to him… but at least I don't claim to know him after violating him in the worst way imaginable!" I snapped, my fists clenched, arms now glued to my sides. In that momentary hindsight, maybe I shouldn't have said the things I did; his eyes widened a brief moment before they narrowed into what could be considered lethal slits, his nostrils flaring.

Gregory was looming over me in a mere moment, grabbing one of my arms. "Do you hope to invoke some sense of remorse in me? Do you think that after you've delivered your heroic and no doubt life changing lines, I'll feel accountable, repent, and move on with my life, doing good in the eyes of others and saving humanity while you and my brother ride off into the sunset? Need I remind you how fragile you are, human?" He pressed his fingernail against my forearm, a searing pain shooting throughout my hand and shoulder as, in a matter of only seconds, he had punctured my skin, before ripping a deep, bloody trail running up my arm. My vision was speckled with white and my knees felt weak, choking out cries of pain. "You may think this is some drama where you play the protagonist, but let me tell you something, little hero; it seems as if no one has told you this is a tragedy." Yanking my arm higher, he brought it to his lips, his tongue spearing into the gash, lapping up the blood. I whimpered, my legs giving out; he caught me by the back of my neck, hauling me up. Gregory brought his face closer to mine, nearly hissing his words. "How does it feel to know that you're worth nothing to my brother? To know that he's only meters away, in the cave, listening as I'm moments away from ripping the very life out of you?"

He… he was? I couldn't bring myself to answer; my heart was falling away from my ribcage in an attempt to shrivel up and die. Was I going to die right now? Was this it? I didn't feel as panicked as I probably should have… well, dying like this beat knowing Rudolf was finished with me. Would he even come see my lifeless body when Gregory was done with it? I clutched at my bleeding arm, wrenching my watery eyes open, forcing myself to watch my own demise. The moment he lunged towards my neck, a flash of lightning illuminated a flash of blonde and there was an almost deafening clap of thunder; Gregory was stumbling away and I was in someone's arms. Wildly, I turned to look, spying a murderous Larissa. "Issa—?"

"Don't you _dare_ touch Tony again," she growled, her grip around me tightening infinitesimally. Relief overwhelmed me and I leaned into her embrace, convulsing with shivers.

Another sudden blur shot by us and there was more thunder; again Gregory went flying, coming to a stumbling halt right before reaching the edge of the cliff. "I'm going to _kill_ you!" Even from the distance the other two vampires were at, Ashlyn's voice was clear as crystal and she sounded about as murderous as Larissa looked.

"L-Larissa…?" I asked tentatively, as she began stroking the back of my neck, massaging over the bruising places Gregory's fingers had been.

"Shhh, shh, Tony, everything's going to be all right. I promise you that." Although, despite her words, I wasn't entirely sure I believed it. I knew she was trying to protect me from Gregory, but with my bleeding arm and her tensed stance, she was probably trying to protect me from herself as well.

There was so much fighting going on in front of us but after seeing Gregory effortlessly fling Ashlyn into a tree— which split in half at the sheer force— I couldn't bring myself to watch any more. I buried my face in Larissa's neck, praying that this would all be over soon. As time drew on, I could no longer tell what was thunder and what was the clashing of vampires.

Finally, over yet another roar of thunder, I could make out some indistinct yelling before Ashlyn, suddenly much closer to us asked "Is he okay?" But I could hear the stiffness in her voice; she must have already known I was bleeding. I peeked up at her, watching as she took a deep breath, holding it, before she grabbed my arm. At the contact, I immediately scrunched my eyes shut. I don't think I had ever been more terrified— she was my friend which made this so much worse than almost being killed by Rudolf's heartless brother. Friends didn't eat each other, right? As I at last peeled my eyes open, I caught sight of her incredulous face. "Just what, boy-o, did you think I was going to do to you?" I looked down to see her holding a bandana— the one that looked curiously like the one that had gone missing from my closet—, before she began to wrap it around my forearm.

"Uh…" A flash of lightning illuminated the field, and I lost track of thought, noticing gouge-like markings on the brunette that definitely hadn't been there the last time I had seen her. A few ran across her nose, another cutting into her upper lip, and even more along arms and shoulders, her clothes slashed in those places. Had Gregory caused those? And they weren't bloody because vampires couldn't bleed?

My attention was once again shifted from almost asking, when she said, "I'm offended. But this should keep us from eating you, if that's what's going through your head."

"Well, in all fairness, Ash, he does smell good."

Ashlyn glared up at Larissa. "I'm _trying_ to ignore that, thanks."

And despite it all, I laughed a little. I'd almost been murdered by Gregory. Ashlyn and Larissa were teasing each other now about eating me. And I hadn't seen Rudolf all day. He hadn't come to save me. I didn't mean a thing to him. There was no hilarity about the situation, yet there I was laughing. I laughed until somewhere along the lines, I found myself half crying, half babbling about how they should have just let Gregory kill me and how everything was all my fault…

"Tony, Tony, _Tony_," Larissa shook my shoulders gently; they had flown me back to their car, partially fearing Gregory's return, partially wanting to patch up my arm. Fortunately, after looking at it for a while, they determined I probably could manage without stitches as long as it didn't get infected; the hospital would have been too dramatic and way too bloody for either of them to handle, so instead, we stopped at a small grocer's, Issa dashing inside to grab a few necessities before we got back on the road. I noted we weren't going anywhere in particular, but Ashlyn drove in silence while Larissa had begun carefully bandaging my arm. But she had stopped me mid-rant, for the third time, finally using a more authoritative tone to calm and hopefully obliterate my fears. "It's okay. We're your friends. We're here to protect you. You'll be fine. Ashlyn's fine—"

"B-But her face!"

Larissa's brows knitted together as she smiled softly, reaching out to pat my cheek. "Oh, Tony, no…" I noticed she glanced up at the rear-view mirror, briefly inspecting the damage on her friend again. "They'll get better. Yeah… they'll be better in no time."

I fell back into silence as I watched as Larissa went back to work on my arm. She had already used some rubbing alcohol to disinfect it and now she was lacing it with antibiotics. If the proffered consolation was true, shouldn't have Ashlyn agreed to reassure me further? From where I sat, I could see her grip on the steering wheel and it was tight, the cushioning on it caving into her tight fists. She was mad.

Eventually we began heading back to my house and when we arrived, they made a move to pick me up to launch us up back onto my balcony, but I waved them off, fishing the keys out of my pocket. "It's okay, they're not home…" I mumbled; but that reminded me, "Um… what about my car…? I drove… down there."

"Don't worry. We'll have it back here before you wake up in the morning." Larissa gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

The two vampires glanced around as we climbed the stairs, curious to see what my house looked like outside of my room. But before long, we were back in familiar settings and I made a weak dive for my bed, curling up with one of my pillows— a poor replacement for the man who should have been here the entire time. Larissa found a spot next to me, combing her fingers through my hair, trying to keep me from reverting back to the babbling, sobbing mess I wanted to give into being.

With a trembling sigh, I pulled the pillow tighter to me. "He didn't come…"

"Tony… he's not coming." Of course, I had been referring to on the cliff, but apparently, according to Ashlyn, he wasn't coming at all period. And with it, I felt another wave of hopelessness crash into me.

"I don't know what is going through his bloody thick head, but he's just not coming. We're with you and Anna's with him. And don't let what that monster said to you get to you; it wasn't true. He's in northern England… has been all day." She sat in the corner, her head leaning back against the wall, eyes closed. The fresh, hollow looking gashes were catching the soft glow of my lamp, looking brighter than the rest of her. I was still unconvinced they would heal.

Larissa continued to run her hand through my hair, probably trying to soothe me from the news that Ashlyn had blatantly delivered.

On the other hand… it was mildly reassuring that he hadn't intentionally let me be ripped to shreds, but then again, he still wasn't here.

"Honestly, whatever his problem is," Ashlyn went on, "It's childish for him to run away from… It's not like he isn't surrounded by people who are ready and willing to give him advice." Oh, good… at least some one else agreed with me that this was beyond ridiculous.

I glanced up as Larissa's shoulders pulled upwards. "It's true, but, then again, he's good at talking things out and he only runs away when he really can't handle something."

My stomach dropped.

I listened in silence as the two batted ideas off of each other, but somewhere along the lines, Larissa must have caught on to how miserable it was making me and promptly switched topics. From there, she started sharing stories of when they first met Anna and how immediately taken with cars Rudolf was. They made me feel better, and soon I was comfortably resting against— rather than strangling— the pillow, enraptured in the current story.

Ashlyn, though, hadn't been quite as willing to take a trip down memory lane with us, and suddenly she stood, mumbling something about going to get my car. When she reached the window, I couldn't help but ask, curiosity finally getting the better of me. "Ash, the scars are never going to go away, are they?"

She hesitated a moment, not bothering to turn to face me. "No…" There was nothing untrue in her voice; it made me want to die. "They won't go away."

Larissa only managed to form the first syllable of a word, trying to interject, but Ashlyn cut her off.

"But I don't regret it, Tony." Only then, did she turn, meeting my gaze dead on. "I would lose more than just parts of my face to keep you safe… I'm just… mad as fucking hell! I'm going to murder Gregory and Rudolf for being so— _augh_!" After glowering at the floor for a moment, she looked up, eyes smoldering. "Keep him safe; I'm going to rip something apart—" Without another word, she was gone.

Cautiously, I looked to Larissa. "So… this isn't my fault and she's not mad at me…?"

A little exasperated, she shook her head, leaning back into the couch. "No, Tony… she adores you… and what she said was true. Either of us would have gladly died for you… but heaven help Rudolf. She's not going to rest until she's drug his undead body back up here and beaten him into coming to make amends. Don't worry, Tony. This will blow over soon."

I certainly hoped so. Staring up at the ceiling, I realized I had yet to inform my mother of my failed attempts at patching things up with my friend. I probably ought to keep it at that too; would I ever get the chance to tell them that I was in league with a bunch of vampires? And if I ever did get a chance to tell them, when that moment had arrived, how many times would I have almost died? Unwillingly, I got up off the bed, trudging off into my parents room to mooch the phone; my cell phone, I remembered regretfully, was still with the car. After dialing my mother's cell phone number, I wandered back into my room, listening as it jumped the rings, straight to voicemail. I cleared my throat, "Hey mom, sorry for calling so late… I just got home. Not much luck with Rudolf. But don't worry, I think it'll turn out all right sooner or later. Hope everything goes well tomorrow and that you and dad are having a good night's sleep. Love you, mom. I'll talk to you later. Bye." I tossed the phone towards my desk, hoping it'd land on my chair, but it went clattering to the floor. I sighed at it, not bothering to get up and retrieve it.

A snort of laughter escaped Larissa. "…you told your mother about your gay vampire boyfriend?"

I shook my head. "She knows we're friends. I told her we were fighting."

"And are you?"

"Not really…" Hesitating, "Well actually, we might be because he sort of left after we… we… um…" Blushing a little, I turned back the covers, before sliding into bed. "Sort of…"

Without finishing, her red eyes rounded. "He deflowered the virgin Tony? Pedophilia!"

"It was consensual!" I snapped, blushing harder.

After staring at me for a hard moment, she let out a breath, shaking her head, before offering me a soft smile. "That sort of explains some things, though. I'm sorry your boyfriend's being an asshole. Don't worry, we'll clear things up; besides, Rudolf's not the 'hit it and quit it' type."

"Larissa…"

"Yes?"

I settled further into my bed, switching off the lamp. "Don't use Rudolf's name and hit it and quit it in the same sentence again, please."

Giggling, "Sure, sure, Tony."

"And Iss?"

"Mmh?"

Rolling over, I pulled the blankets up higher, smiling a little in the dark. "Thanks for saving me today. And if you see Rudolf before I do, tell him I hate him."

She laughed again. "With pleasure. Good night, Tony."

* * *

A/N:

Hey all. Really sorry about the wait. I completely lost all motivation to write this, but I think I've caught another wave of enthusiasm; hopefully it and the drive/need/compulsive urge to finish this will get us to the end. Keep your fingers crossed.


	11. Sending Out An SOS

Author's Note-

_Hey, guys. I know I suck. Thank you so much for those who have stuck around so (im)patiently. _  
_I thought there was another way to alert you all of this, but I guess not. I didn't really want to get _  
_your hopes up, but it seems this is my only option. This is more like an S.O.S. more than anything… _  
_I'm fairly far along with this up-coming chapter, but I'm struggling. I'm watching The Little Vampire _  
_on non-stop; hell, I'm quoting the movie. I know some of you have said you'd like to help out if you _  
_could… so, here's your chance. I'm trying to stick to my computer in order to get this chapter done, _  
_so if any of you have AIM, my screen name is heyheyhialex. If you want to stop by, say hi, yell at _  
_me to keep going, give suggestions, haha, whatever, that would be lovely. If not, that's all right, too. _  
_Hopefully, within the up-coming week, you all will have your chapter._

_Lots of Love,_  
_Alex_

**Updated P.S.  
Hi, guys. I've decided to just leave this a part of the story so you all can have my screen  
name if you ever want to try to get a hold of me. Thank you all for your words and support.  
It really means so much to me. I LOVE YOU ALL. **


	12. So, Just Fix It

A/N:

Oh, everyone. I love you so much. Thanks to all of you who continue to wish me luck and support me. A special thanks to Joey for letting me rant, helping me bounce some ideas, and offering so much support. To Rain, who kept me company, showed me my accidental racist ways, battled the never-ending Wifi Fight to show me support, and is even drawing vampires. And to my Roo-Roo, who helps keep me going, keeps me laughing, and edits this brainchild like a BOSS. LOTS OF LOVE FOREVER, EVERYONE.

* * *

**Friday**

"That's it?"

"What do you mean, 'that's it'? Greg ripped his arm open; what the hell were you expec…" Larissa paused, then suddenly laughed. "What did Ashlyn tell you? Were you expecting a corpse?"

Rudolf was silent for a while before he finally sighed. "It… it doesn't matter. How is he, though? Is he okay?"

"He's… been better, obviously. Should I even ask what happened or should I suppose Ashlyn's given you an earful already?

"Enough for the oldest vampire's lifetime. Speaking of her, though, you really ought to find her and talk her out of doing anything rash; I realize she's beyond livid and by all means, I'm ready to tear him apart myself, but now is not the time. My parents are already so on edge, if any of us were to start a fight with Gregory, I don't know what would happen…"

"…you turned into _that_ when she told you, didn't you?"

"I did… I honestly was ready to destroy my brother, but even then, Ashlyn still easily knocked me flat on my ass and told me to get here as fast as I could. I don't think I've ever seen her so angry… I'm still not even sure if it was because she wanted me here or if she wanted to kill Greg herself. But really, Larissa, I wouldn't insist on it if I wasn't honestly worried about her upsetting the balance of everything right before the comet… Anna's with her now, trying to stall her in Carlisle, but she's never been good at listening to anyone other than you."

Dreams were supposed to go my way, right? Well, my dream-self was fucking emotionally and physically exhausted, so this conversation needed to stop. "Stop talking…" I grumbled, rolling over to face the two speaking vampires.

They both turned to look at me before Rudolf placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Please…"

She sighed, "Fine. But you owe us both, Rudolf. Oh, that reminds me; he wanted me to tell you he hates you."

Rudolf's shoulders fell, visibly looking defeated and disheartened. "…he… he what?"

"Hates you?" Larissa supplied again. "Look. Before you get emotional and go running off again, he also spent the entire night missing you. He doesn't really hate you. He's just hurt. So… fix it, all right?" I watched as she sent a nod of her head in my direction before she disappeared out the window.

Rudolf met my gaze just about when I looked at him. His eyebrows pulled up in worry; like nothing bad had happened between us. Dreams were so much nicer than reality. His expression continued to soften as I held my arms out towards him, longing to feel his cool skin against me. "Oh," he started, carefully tracing the bandages along my arm before sitting on the side of the bed. "My poor Tony… I'm so sorry this happened." The vampire leaned down, pressing his forehead to mine, our noses brushing.

I frowned, bringing a hand to cup his cheek. "I wish you were real…"

Looking further troubled, he kissed me lightly, sighing. "Oh, Tony… I'm sorry…" He watched me for a moment as I yawned, eyelids starting their descent downwards. He slipped off his jacket and shoes, and before I lost myself to sleep, I scooted over, leaving him room to snuggle up behind me. If I was going to wake up in some odd hours, alone again, then damn it, he was certainly going to make it up to me now. He tangled his legs among mine, draping an arm over my side before his lips came to rest against the back of my head; now that was more like it.

* * *

I could have sworn I heard the first annoying beep of my alarm clock, but just as I was debating whether to get up to turn off the alarm, no persistent beeping followed; had I just imagined it? I fell back into a light sleep, only to wake up to the ring of the phone. Groggily, I sat up, rubbing at my eyes, looking around for the source of the noise. However, when my eyes fell on a certain vampire scooping up the phone on the floor, I frowned.

Rudolf pushed a button, asking a tentative, "Hello?" He listened for a moment, before a smirk pulled at the corner of his lips. "Ah, yes, this is he." I noted suddenly that he had an American accent.

Oh, no. I flung the covers off, stamping over to him. "What are you doing!" I hissed at him, trying to grab the phone out of his hand.

He grinned at me, pinning me to his side, stroking the back of my head. "Actually, yes. I am aware that Tony isn't at school. I apologize; I must've forgotten to give you a call. Mm? Ah, yes, he has the stomach flu… Monday? I'm not sure… we'll have to wait the weekend to see. Thank you for calling. Of course, you too." Hanging up, Rudolf set the phone on my desk, turning to pull me into a proper hug. "Well," he started, accent gone, "According to your father, you are sick today."

I shoved myself out of his grasp, eyes narrowed. "And what the hell gives you that right?"

His face fell. "I-I thought—"

"You thought what? You thought that you could just waltz back here after abandoning me and everything would be okay again!" Granted, I had woken up all of a minute and half ago, but I was already working myself up. "And you think I want to spend an entire day with you after all of this? _Seriously_?"

He took a step towards me, but I took few steps back, closer to the door. "You don't understand, Tony, I needed time to sort things out—"

"And you couldn't have told me?"

Frowning, he offered, "I think you would have a bit of a biased say in the matter…"

"I'm not even talking about helping you sort it out! I'm saying that I had no idea where you were! Why didn't you tell me?"

His voice finally gained an edge of defense to it, a single brow raised. "Wouldn't that have made you feel worse? Either way, I had to do what I needed to do— the outcome would have been the same, whether you had known or not—" He was still advancing, looking a little less diplomatic with every step he took.

Unfortunately, I found myself soon pressed up against the back of the door. "You should have told me…" I glared, "And what was so fucking important that you had to spend an entire day fucking sulking in England?"

When he took the final step that closed the distance between us, he turned his gaze downward, voice so cold, it sent a shiver through me. "Well, by all means, Tony, let me apologize for needing to cope with the loss of another lover."

For the first time since we had started arguing, my voice softened. "What do you mean…?"

Neither his gaze nor his voice warmed, and he continued to loom over me. "You already know how I feel about the comet… Just because you've helped us discover what you have— something that has been right under our noses for years— does not mean we'll be able to find it… the amulet could be _anywhere_. We've been looking for the damn thing for three hundred and fifty years and we've produced nothing. You'll go on living and I'll remain exactly as I am… I needed distance to try to remove myself from the idea of being able to stay with you… How can you expect me to do that, lying next to you, breathing in your scent, after I've just made you mine?" Rudolf brought his hand to my neck, his thumb stroking my cheek. "I have no desire to argue with you. I'm sorry things have turned out the way they have… I'll come back later, when you've had some time to calm yourself."

As he turned to leave, I felt panicked; I didn't want him to go again. "Bite me…"

He stopped. "…what?"

"If you're afraid of losing me, just bite me!"

Finally, he turned, eyes growing wide, startled and almost angry. "No."

Who was he to tell me no? After all of that and he wasn't going to do anything about it? Glaring back, I set my hands against my hips, defiant. "If you don't, I'll get someone else to—" I was cut off by his open palm slamming into the wall, inches away from my head. Despite flinching, I kept my stance firm; I was trying my hardest not to look terrified, but I was— my heart was thundering against my chest.

"Don't you dare, Tony."

"Why? Since you're so convinced that the comet's just going to come and go, then why won't you let me stay with you?"

His voice was low and his eyes were smoldering. "You don't know what that means. No blue skies, no birds singing, no flowers in the sunlight." He sighed deeply, chest heaving with it, almost quivering with frustration. "…just this constant night. I will not let you watch everyone you know and love die."

I rolled my eyes. "So you'll let _me_ go, get old, and die? You'll watch it all happen? Or are you going to stay around only to run away every time we sleep together? Do you expect me to remain hopelessly in love with you as I get older every day? Or watch you leave every night trying to cope with whatever guilt you think you're living with? Really, Rudolf? Do you have any idea how hard this is going to be for us?"

He rolled his eyes, too, pressing his mouth into a hard, thin line to keep from saying something. For a long moment, he appraised me, before shaking his head. "I told you I'm not doing this…" He turned to go.

I should have left it alone. He had said he would be back in a little while, once I had cooled down, but I couldn't help myself; it was like the angry word-vomit wouldn't stop coming. "Fine! Run away! That's okay because I won't be alive the next time you see me!"

He whirled around again; note to self: when provoked, he was just as easily as menacing as his father. "You promised me, Tony," he growled.

"Who said I was doing it myself? Maybe you've forgotten, but your brother keeps trying to kill me!" I waved him on, "Go ahead, leave… I'm used to you not being there when I need you!"

Finally, it seemed I had taken it one step too far; Rudolf's face sobered, a brief flash of pain racing across his eyes. His stance deflated and it looked like he was floundering for something to say this time. "Tony, I—"

I would be the first to admit I hated seeing him looking so heartbroken, but until some serious groveling was taking place, I wasn't going to give. "No, I don't want to hear it! Do you know how alone I felt? Do you know I spent all of yesterday wondering what I had done wrong…? …wondering why you didn't think I was good enough for you? It was so hard, Rudolf!"

"Tony, I really am so very sorry… If I had any idea of what would happen while I was gone, I never would have left, and I'm sorry, I should have at least waited to leave… Come here, please," he held his arms out, beckoning me to come to him.

But I folded my arms, frowning. "No…"

"Tony…" He sighed. "Now you're just being stubborn and I won't have it, come here."

"If I do, you'll still leave… I've had enough of you leaving, so, no. _You_ get _your_ ass over _here_."

A relieved, breathy sigh escaped him as he smiled, walking towards me, arms still outstretched. "Whatever you wish, Tony." When he reached me, he slipped his arms through mine, lifting me up until I was a few inches higher than he was, looking down at him. As his smile warmed, Rudolf whispered, "Kiss me."

And I was more than happy to oblige.

After a moment, though, he set me down on my bed, his hand lingering on my face before he disappeared. I looked around for a few moments, wondering where he had gone off to, but after about another minute or so, he reappeared with a bowl of Coco Puffs in his hand. I almost laughed. "Breakfast in bed?"

His shoulders lifted up in a shrug. "Your stomach was growling all morning, you must be starving."

Well, that much was true. I hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday and the more I looked at the bowl he had given me, the more God Sent it looked. I lifted the spoon, dunking the ones on top as he sat down behind me, easily pulling me towards him until I was leaning up against him. When I started eating, he wove his arms around my waist, pressing kisses to my neck. "So…" I said through a partial mouthful of cereal, "I see you've helped yourself to figuring out where everything in my house is."

I felt him shrug, in a way that could only be called innocently. "It isn't like your parents stay home all the time when I'm here, and you honestly can't expect me to stay cooped up in that trunk of yours, can you?"

"I suppose not." As I had taken a few more bites, I snuggled back further into him, pulling my knees up some. "So, when are you going to tell them that you're my boyfriend?"

"Who? Your parents?"

"Well, yeah… who else? My non-existent friends?"

He squeezed my sides. "Shall I, then? I can only imagine how wonderfully that will play out. 'Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Thompson… your beautiful son has asked me to inform you of our ever-budding romance. I love him, he loves me, and I've already taken his virginity. It's good to see you again… May I stay for dinner?'"

I smirked and blushed as I listened; God, that would be the most awkward experience of either of our lifetimes. "…on second thought, don't tell them."

A smile was in his voice, "Why? I thought it sounded fine."

"All right, then I suppose I should tell yours, too?" I asked, idly stirring before taking a couple more bites. If we were doing awkward, we might as well do horrifying.

"Oh, God, no." Apparently, he thought the same thing.

I moved my head so that it rested against his shoulder, looking over to him. "You know… I think that any concept of 'us' is hopeless, no matter which way you look at it."

"And you wondered why I left."

"In my defense, you didn't explain yourself very well…" I mumbled, glaring.

Rudolf smiled, kissing my forehead. "I know and I'm sorry."

I looked down at the bowl of milk. "Do you want this?"

After he appraised it for a moment, he looked back at me. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't we already establish that I prefer the cow over milk?"

"Okay, smart ass. You could have just said no." I stared down at the remaining liquid, before trying to slide it onto my nightstand. Rudolf helped, pushing it the rest of the way. With it out of the way, though, I wrenched the covers from underneath me before once more snuggling back against the vampire. "Rudolf," I began again, after a few minutes had passed. "What are we going to do?"

"About what?"

About what, he said, like it wasn't obvious. "Everything… the comet, the amulet… us… It's already Friday… the comet is coming tomorrow night and all we know is that the crest belongs to the McAshton's… we don't even know what that means, it could be at the their house, it could be anywhere… and… and I don't really have three hundred years to help you find it again. I don't know what to do and I'm not ready to just let you leave my life…"

"Perhaps we should talk about this later," he said, kissing the top of my head.

Frowning, I grumbled, "But we're running out of time…"

"You've yawned twice when trying to explain that… you had a long, difficult day yesterday, you need to rest more. We can talk about it later. I promise."

At first, I debated the accuracy of all of this; I did have a long day yesterday, but we didn't have time to _not_ talk about it… But then I yawned again. Maybe he was right… a nap really couldn't hurt, could it? I exhaled through my nose, suddenly wiggling down, stretching out on the bed. "Fine. But you promised. And you have to stay." I mumbled stubbornly, holding the blankets up so he could slide in next to me.

He shook his head, a smile playing at his lips. "Oh, Tony…" As he got in, he pulled me closer, so my face was against his chest, "Whatever will I do with you…?"

* * *

When I stirred awake, I found myself next to Rudolf, the way I would have liked to have been yesterday. Cool, secure, and pressed up against him, with his arm draped over me. Peeking up at him, it seemed as if he had dozed off as well, which was a nice change of pace from me starting creepily at him when he obviously wasn't asleep.

I slipped my arm off of his side, chastely pressing a kiss to his lips. "Rudolf?"

"Yes, my love?" He asked, without opening his eyes.

Leaning up, I glanced at my clock; it was only eleven thirty— we still had time. Of course, none of it could be used very proactively for at least another eight hours. I came back to rest against the pillow, looking back to Rudolf. How could he just… let things be? "Don't you want to stay like this forever?"

"I'm not biting you."

"Ashlyn said she could do it."

"I'd kill her."

Frowning, "You wouldn't."

Peeking open an eye, he stared at me for a moment before he rolled over. "Don't ruin the serenity of waking from a nap, Tony."

I scoffed before I extended my arm into his back, which did nothing except shoved me farther away from him. "You said we could talk about it."

"I said we could talk about our plans until tomorrow. I did not say I'd be willing to discuss your death sentence. Which neither I nor anyone else will be giving you."

Sighing, I pulled my arm back before sitting up. "Rudolf…"

He rolled over, so he was laying on his back, looking up at me, a tinge of exasperation in his voice. "Tony."

I dropped my gaze to my hands. Maybe what I was about to do was a little unfair, but shouldn't he know the truth? Both of what I knew and how I felt. "I know about Hadrian…" I said softly, lacing and unlacing my fingers.

"Did Anna tell you about him, too?" He asked after a moment.

Nodding, I looked over at him. "Can I be honest with you?"

The vampire propped himself up on an elbow. "I hope you always will be."

"I—" I sighed again. "I know you loved him so much… I saw, actually… and I can't even imagine how horrible that was for you. But don't you see? If the comet does come and go, then you will have to watch me die. Every day, I'll be a step closer to dying in front of you. I don't want to live knowing that somewhere, in the back of your mind, that thought will be there, haunting you. I couldn't bear if you started trying to distance yourself from me, but I couldn't bear it if stayed with me to the end… you'll be alone again and I don't want that."

At first he didn't say anything, but took my hand in his, stroking it with his thumb. A sigh parted his lips, finally as he sat up as well. "You know," he then maneuvered me back to the bed, and he was on his hands and knees above me. "You never fail to surprise me with how much you remind me of him… the similarities, they're almost uncanny. If I believed in reincarnation, I would swear you were him…" He leaned down, kissing my forehead. "And perhaps, our souls are destined to find each other always."

I could feel the corners of my mouth turn down and I tried to fight against it. It was conflicting, having him see the man he once loved in me. I was glad that I could somehow hold par against him… but wouldn't all of the similarities have him reflecting on the dead? "I'm not Hadrian, Rudolf," I whispered, reaching up to push him away.

Seeing that I was bothered by the comparison, he took my hand off his chest and brought it to his face. "Tony, I know that… I know you're not him. I'm sorry." He sighed again, his ruby eyes softening. "Tony… I've no doubt in my mind you'll hold me to this, but, I have a proposition for you. Right now, tension runs high for all of us; I know all of us are nervous. Can we talk about this afterwards? If we do fail, then let us save that conversation for when we have time on our hands. Is that acceptable?"

Slowly, I nodded. "Yeah… we can talk about it later." I smiled. "Like on Sunday."

Rudolf broke into a grin as he rolled his eyes. "Ever hasty, I see."

I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him down to me. "Yeah, well…"

Closing the distance between his, he pressed his mouth to mine. "I wouldn't change any of you, my beautiful friend."

I continued to smile against his lips before I pulled away, noting that his cool hands were creeping under the side of my shirt. After a glance downward, though, my brows furrowed. "What are you doing?"

"Are you honestly asking that?"

Blushing, I realized that I _had_ actually asked that, and it was an incredibly silly thing for me to do. "I—… ah, okay…" It wasn't like I was against it, because we had already had sex… but I guess I hadn't anticipated it to happen again so soon.

"How shall I please you, Tony?"

I blushed even harder. Okay. Rudolf was not allowed to speak. Covering my face, I mumbled something about not caring.

He laughed softly, pulling my hands away before kissing my forehead. "You are so sweet." Maneuvering me out of my shirt, he began tracing his hands along my sides, kissing my neck and moving downwards. The more he kissed, the more he touched, the more I found myself exponentially less embarrassed and more flushed. His hands felt nearly freezing against me; I loved it. Looking at the mop of dark hair, I was suddenly overcome with the desire to touch it. It had always been so soft. Tilting my head, I stared up at him, brushing my hand through his hair. "What are you doing?" I asked softly, warming as his eyes met mine.

He took a hand off of me, only to capture my own, bringing it down to kiss my palm. "We will be together as long as we can be… and every day that we are together, I want to memorize your body, so my mind knows you as well as my heart does."

Despite blushing, I smiled, taking my hand back and playfully pushing his face. "You are so stuck in the eighteenth century." Yes. He wasn't allowed to talk anymore.

Thankfully, he didn't, going back to leisurely covering my body with kisses. He took his time as he kissed the slopes of my hips, watching the way my breath caught or the way I dug my fingers into the sheets.

"Rudolf…" I whispered, trying to tug his shirt off.

He smirked, almost hungrily, leaning back for a moment, peeling his shirt off before eyeing me, purposefully dragging his thigh over my tenting boxers as he leaned down again.

I was almost writhing underneath him. "S-Stop…"

His brow arched upwards. "Stop? Stop what?"

God… he was just… so… I blushed, frowning a little. "…teasing me."

About a moment after I had whispered that, I found myself suddenly boxer-less. His fingers were tracing my lips and as I looked back to him, he almost bore into my eyes. "Suck," he commanded, slipping his index and middle finger between my lips. Hesitantly, I began to lick at his fingers as he continued to rub his thigh against me, kissing my chest. Finally, he pulled his fingers from my mouth, covering it with his own before his fingers slipped inside of me.

I arched my back, inhaling sharply into his mouth.

"Relax," he all but purred. His slow ministrations continued until I was comfortable, and then again, his low voice purred, "Turn over."

Hesitantly, I did as he told me.

His hand found my hip, guiding it upwards, lifting me, even, so I ended up on my knees. Jesus Christ— my ass was in the air. Why was it so embarrassing this time? I buried my head in the pillow, hiding my red face. But once again, as he started preparing me, he eased away the embarrassment, and I was beginning to ride on the borders of ecstasy.

"S-Stop… I'm going to…"

"Then come."

I peeked over my shoulder, barely managing to murmur, "Touch me, please…" He obliged and I found myself rocking both ways into his hands, until finally I whimpered, face buried in the pillow as I climaxed. At first, all I had managed to do was halfway collapse, but after I had a moment to recuperate, I sat up, looking down at the bulge in his pants. This was… going to be interesting. I hooked my thumbs over the brim, gently tugging them down. Oh, God.

"You don't have to do that, Tony…"

While that was probably the case, it seemed like I ought to reciprocate at this point... even though I had very little blowjob knowledge. But if I could punch him and he didn't feel the pain, that sort of meant that I really couldn't screw up, could I? Tentatively, I lowered my head, licking my lips. Well. Here went nothing.

I closed my eyes when I took him into my mouth— because, really, there was no other way to look at it than sucking a dick and I wasn't entirely comfortable with that idea yet—, but it surprised me. It was like… a really bland popsicle. I attempted to tell him, but obviously, it didn't come out as clearly as I had intended it to be, almost completely unaware of the vibrations I had caused.

"T-Tony…" He stammered, tugging on my hair so that it little pinpricks of pain ran along my scalp. "…d-don't talk…"

Hearing him act that flustered certainly sent another warm wave of arousal rolling through me. I continued to lick and suck, trying to imitate what he had tried to do with me the other night. It was breathtaking listening to the way his breathing became heavier and how, if you listened hard enough, he made soft, little moans. I would be lying if I said I wasn't turned on.

"Tony… that's enough…"

As he nudged me away, I met his gaze. "But you haven't—"

He leaned in, kissing me before easing us back towards the bed, rubbing us together. "Not yet… relax, love."

I groaned as he pushed into me, head thrown back into the pillow, fingers curling into the blanket, my body aching; it didn't hurt as much as it had the first time we had done it, like Rudolf wasn't in as much of a hurry this time, but my mind was already elsewhere— I wanted more friction between us, faster. I wrapped my legs around his waist, urging him deeper. It was only a matter of time before I was seeing stars in my vision, unraveling under him. "Mmn… Ru… Rudolf…"

It felt like my mind had gone numb with pleasure, but I knew it was only a matter of time before I lost myself. He suddenly stopped, though, and I nearly whined at the sudden lack of contact. I half glared up at him. "What… what are you doing?"

Cupping my cheek with one hand, he rested on his other elbow, leaning in to kiss me slowly, lovingly, deeply. When he finally pulled away, I watched as his ruby eyes opened slowly, staring at me half-lidded. "We're not done, love. Don't be so hasty to finish." His voice was low and sweet; how could I have ever thought that he only wanted me for sex?

I shivered as his nose grazed the side of my neck before his lips left trails along my collar bone.

Rudolf's hand trailed along my side as he mumbled mantras of love and our friendship. Finally, he got back on his knees, "My life, my love, has been exponentially better since I met you. I have never been so grateful for mistaking someone for somebody else."

I laughed a little, tilting my head. "I'm glad you found me." I sat up to kiss him, stroking the sides of his face. "I want to be with you forever."

"Tony…"

"…I want to be with you for as long as time allows us," I corrected, rolling my eyes, but smiling against his lips.

He smiled back, wrapping an arm around my waist, thrusting into me. "Much better."

We found rhythm once again, back against the bed, each motion purposeful and practically perfectly. We had become so enraptured in each other— it was just us. The world could have been ending around us and not only would we not notice, but we wouldn't care. We were with each other and it was delightfully beautiful.

"Tony… are you… are you…"

I nodded fervently, "Mmhmm…"

"Open your eyes," he whispered.

Meeting his hard, affectionate look and with a few more deliberately placed thrusts, the final wave of arousal went ripping through me. "Ah… Rudolf… I-I… love you— _ahh_!"

His groan was low, euphoric, and possessive, and he rode out his orgasm unhurriedly, before covering my face with kisses. Smiling, he murmured, "I love you, too."

After he maneuvered the top blanket out from underneath us, we crawled under the covers before his hand snaked around my waist, pulling me towards him. Rudolf was freezing as per usual and I was still warm. It was perfect. As I was adjusting against him, Rudolf dropped the occasional kiss on the shell of my ear, before whispering things that left a drowsy smile pulling at my lips. Finally, he settled in, his chin nestled on top of my head, his hands grasping mine.

* * *

When I woke up this time, I smiled finding ourselves tangled up in each other again. As happy as I was, I felt stiff and probably could do with a shower. After trying to extract myself from the vampire, I found that his limbs were purposefully trapping mine. Leaning forward, I dropped a kiss on his forehead, laughing a little. "Come on, fatty… you're crushing me."

His laugh echoed mine, "Sorry… I've been meaning to go on a diet…" Nevertheless, he released me, ruby eyes following me as I climbed out of bed. "Where are you going?"

I glanced over my shoulder, smirking. "What? You like what you see? I'm just going to shower."

"Don't tempt me to follow you in."

Holding up my hands, I shook my head. "No, that is totally okay."

He sat up a little, eyes narrowed. "Why? Afraid we'll break the tile walls?"

I blushed. "…that isn't… what—…" I pointed a rather accusing finger. "Get your mind out of the gutter. I was just going to say go ahead and go back to sleep… you haven't really slept all of yesterday or most of today." I smiled as I grabbed my towel and a change of clothes. Coming towards the side of the bed, I kissed him, nose brushing his as I whispered, "But if I was a vampire, we could have sex all the time."

Rudolf was obviously smiling, but he rolled his eyes before rolling over. "Have a nice shower, Tony."

Well… as far as changing me went, that was probably the best response I had gotten so far. I sighed, opening the bathroom door. Why was the majority of this leaning towards using my body as a bargaining tool?

I took a warm shower, stretching often and massaging my shoulders. Ugh, it felt so good. But now that we had finally used up the majority of the daylight, it was time to get down to business. I got dressed a little slower than usual in the bathroom, hoping to give Rudolf a few extra minutes of sleep. As I gave myself a final once-over in the mirror, my eyes gravitated towards my forehead. Oh, good. The cut I got last week was almost gone… and now I had a giant gash on my forearm. Lovely. Using the supplies we had gotten yesterday, I redressed my arm, and, finally satisfied, I went back into the hall.

With a peak out the window, though, I frowned. It looked freezing.

Back in my room, I grabbed a sweatshirt out of the closet, walking back over to the bed. "Rudolf," I whispered, tugging the sweatshirt over my head, "Come on, wake up… let's go look for the amulet." I watched as he rolled over so he was on his stomach, yanking a few pillows down to get comfortable with. Frowning a little, I continued to watch. Vampires didn't exactly strike me as the type to be able to sleep through anything; with exceptional hearing and an impeccable sense of smell… how could they? "Rudolf… I know you're awake." I waited for a little while, hoping he would just give up this façade, but when he still hadn't moved, I sighed, walking over to the window and climbing out onto the balcony. It was even cooler than I had expected it to be and there was still a little light out, but, at least, the sun had definitely already set. "I'm going to jump off this balcony if you don't wake up," I called over my shoulder, climbing up onto the ledge.

An arm was lassoing around my waist, pulling me back down, before Rudolf scooped me up, carrying me inside. "Why can't you sleep like a normal human?"

"Uh, because it's like… almost eight? Normal humans are still very much awake right now."

He seemed unimpressed with my argument, placing me back on the bed. "Well, we all know you might as well be part vampire now, anyways."

As he came to lie down beside me, I threw my hand towards his mouth, which he immediately shut. "I might as well be part vampire?" I repeated, mildly incredulous. "Well, maybe I would be if you'd just bite me. Then I'd be asleep right now and we wouldn't have to worry about wasting time, because I'd already be part of the undead, too… with like, another million years to find a stupid piece of jewelry."

"It isn't going to happen, Tony." He said, mumbling, lips barely parting.

I sat up, swinging one of my legs over his waist, trying to pull his lips apart. "If you get to be this stubborn, then so do I! Just poke my finger with your tooth or something!"

"_No_, Tony."

"Rudolf," I whined, rubbing my hands over his mouth. "Just let it happen… You can close your eyes… you won't even know—" And then an idea hit me. Maybe he wouldn't have to know… what if I just did it myself tonight?

Almost as if he knew what I was thinking, he sat up, shoved me away, and inadvertently, I went tumbling off the bed.

I winced as I landed on my ass, my mood suddenly sucked dry of all humor. For a moment, I sat on the floor, arms crossed over my chest, glowering at the wall. Well… god damn it. Maybe biting me would be taking the easy way out, but compared to what our other option was— finding an amulet that could be anywhere in the _world_—, it seemed like a lot less hassle. Sighing, I leaned my head back against the bed, surprised to see Rudolf looking down at me.

"I'm sorry, love, I didn't mean to shove you that hard," he whispered, kissing my forehead. He helped me get to my feet, before reaching out for me again. "But if you keep that idea in your mind, for your safety, I will not spend the night ever again."

Shrugging a little, I sighed. That didn't sound like a decent idea either. "It's okay. But… okay… fine… let's at least go look for the amulet?"

His look said it all.

"Rudolf…"

"Tony… we've been over this countless times."

I floundered a little, frowning. "Yeah, but you said we could talk about it."

"Emphasis on talk. Shall I propose a plan, then? We forget about the amulet, come to terms with this peculiar situation, and work with the time we have left." He swung his legs over the bed, getting to his feet. Already with the small amount of time I had spent with him, I already disliked this debating tactic. He was taller than me and mostly immortal; it seemed like a pretty huge disadvantage.

Half scoffing, I looked at him. "So… you're giving up?"

His eyes narrowed. "I am not giving up. I've just found a more important way to be spending my time and energy." He reached for me, continuing, "It's far more productive to spend the time we have with each other, enjoying each other's company rather than wandering around on a hopeless treasure hunt."

I batted his hand away, rolling my eyes and opening the door. He was giving up. I wasn't going to listen to the excuses. I did hesitate by the door frame, asking one more time, "Can we at least _try_ to look for it?" Sure, I was probably starting to sound like a broken record now, but hadn't most of my stubbornness paid off before?

Maybe he hadn't intended for it to sounds as confrontational as it had, but it certainly had come out that way. "And where on earth are you planning on looking?"

Frustrated, I rolled my eyes again, throwing my arms up as I started heading down stairs. "I don't know, maybe the McAshtons! Sorry, but I told your dad that, he didn't even seem like he was in that great of a hurry to check it out for himself. So sorry for actually trying to do something about this!"

"Let's not bring him into this, all right?" He half growled, stalking down the stairs after me. "And you don't know what my family has done; I've told you before, we've been looking for hundreds of years, Tony—"

"So, what, now that the comet's a day away you're just going to take tonight off?"

"That isn't what I meant and you know it."

I could have laughed. "Yeah, but even if that's that case, that's what's happening…" I turned around, holding my arms out as I took a few backward steps towards the door. "Look, if you want to stay here, that's fine, but I'm going to go."

When I turned back around, I could hear how exasperated he sounded. "Tony…"

"What? Just find something to do, play Halo, use my computer… whatever."

"That isn't—"

I opened the door, leaving it cracked. "Just shut the door before you go back to my room."

"Tony—"

Still mildly annoyed with his lack of action, I went stomping towards the car, the gravel crunching under my shoes. "Okay, bye, see you later! Let's hope I don't die on the way there—" I reached for the car door, flinging it open and began to scoot into the seat.

"_Tony_—"

"Tony?"

My echoed name caught my attention, because it certainly hadn't come from Rudolf. I hesitated from shutting the door, surprised to see the blonde vampire standing at the end of the driveway. I swung one of my legs out, leaning on it as I called, "Anna? Why are you here?"

She looked between me, halfway in the car, to Rudolf, who was still a good length behind me, before finally back at me, her face asking the unspoken question as she continued walking towards us. "I heard what had happened and I only just got back… I was coming to make sure you were all right."

I shrugged a little holding up my arm briefly. "I've been better. How's Ash?"

"She's… okay." Her gaze had shifted uncomfortably as she finally stopped near the other side of the car. "Where are you going?"

Shooting an annoyed look behind me, I looked back to her. "Amulet hunting. Want to come?"

Almost instantly, she brightened. "Oh, of course, Tony, dear!"

"_Anna_!"

And before her brother could do anything, she got into the passenger's side; laughing a little, I got in as well. However, of course it wasn't long before the door behind me opened and Rudolf was sitting, sulking in the back seat. Anna turned around, absolutely beaming. "Come now, brother, pouting doesn't suit you."

* * *

We had parked a safe enough distance away from the house, so no one would warn the McAshtons that there were three trespassers creeping on their property. I would have thought the vampires would have made some kind move to get us quickly and quietly to the house, but considering we resorted to sneaking across the street, apparently that wasn't on their list of things to do. Since we weren't about to go breaking into the house, we weren't left with much to look around; however, we finally settled on exploring their extensive back yard, our minds mostly occupied by other things.

"How am I supposed to leave hickies on you if you don't have circulating blood?"

Rudolf gave a teasing smile before looping his arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer. "Think of it as a good thing. Now there won't be any proof for my parents to find when I'm gone for days at a time."

"Incorrect," Anna supplied, almost gleefully.

Both of us turned, brows furrowed, as Rudolf asked, "Pardon me?"

"Oh, come on, Rudolf. It isn't like you do much in way of concealing your affection for him. Why do you think father dislikes him so much? Sure, he's human, but obviously, if he had such a problem with that, I wouldn't be allowed to go to Edinburgh as much as I have."

"So, he knows?" I asked before Rudolf had a chance to.

Anna nodded. "Of course."

Well… that was awkward. On the other hand, according to Anna, that explained why the lord of dark vampire fury hated me so much. Did I look that gay? Or could they really smell me on Rudolf…? …which meant that he had smelled of… and still smelt of… oh, God… I floundered, pointing to Rudolf, "And he smells like—?"

"Yep."

Rudolf then turned to look at his sister, too. "You haven't told me sooner, because…?"

She shrugged. "Because I think it's cute watching you trying to be discreet… because you really aren't." She shoved her hands into her back pockets, still partially smirking over at Rudolf.

…but that reminded me. The only time I had seen Anna in her traditional Victorian clothes had been that night at the graveyard. She had been wearing modern clothes even though Rudolf hadn't, well, except for the time I let him borrow my dad's clothes, when we had gone clubbing, and when he had showed up to my house. "Rudolf, do you not have any modern clothes?"

Anna was suddenly laughing and Rudolf was glaring.

"Oh, no, no, Tony," Anna interjected before Rudolf had a chance to explain. "He has them."

"Then why aren't you wearing them?"

Rudolf's frown deepened. "It isn't important, is it?"

Anna leaned over me, punching her brother in the shoulder. "Why don't you just tell him the truth? I'm sure he'll think it's just as endearing as I do."

"Just leave it alone—"

"If you don't tell him, I will."

"Anna."

She rolled her eyes and easily moved out of the way as he lunged at her, trying to cover up her mouth. It was all rather comedic, actually, watching them chase each other, acting the like poster children for fighting siblings. But as I was trying to keep up with them running circles around me, Anna had stopped by my side, holding Rudolf away at arm's distance. "He likes to dress up for special occasions to impress you—"

"—_anyways_," he interjected, looking a little embarrassed, finally managing to put some distance between his sister and I. "What were we talking about?"

I smiled. That _was_ cute; he really was a gentleman through and through. "Hickies." I said, smiling rather cheerfully. "And me not being able to give you one. So, do me."

He looked mildly grateful that I had offered up the desired topic change, but apparently that gratitude was rather short-lived. "Tony, you're too much of a temptation as it is."

"I'll do it."

"_Anna_!"

"What? If you love him, then don't let your teeth near him. Simple logic, brother dear."

"But I shouldn't—"

"Then, move. If you have no self-control, then let someone who has it do it."

What was she doing? Rudolf scowled, stepping in front of her when she had taken a step toward me. He pulled me away a bit, leaning into my neck, as if trying to provide some semblance of privacy, but it didn't entirely block my view of his sister. She was smiling and when she caught my gaze, she winked before jokingly putting up her hand to shield her vision of us.

"Ah!" It had caught me by surprise that his lips were actually on my neck and instinctually, I turned my head, trying to duck it into my shoulder. In the process, I caught his face, and I laughed a little, "Sorry, it just tickles…" I was actually surprised that he went back to trying and my hands grasped his vest, pulling us a little closer. He really did have a world of restraint; a wrong move on either of our parts would end up with him grazing me with his teeth. …and while I wanted it, it would certainly be a big violation of his trust and I did not want to go the next thousand years or so with him ignoring me.

When he was satisfied he moved to my face, his lips ghosting over my mouth.

Anna made some gagging noises before hissing, "Get a room!" Suddenly, they both tensed, and Anna tagged on, "Oh, shh, shh!"

Rudolf then grabbed me before rushing over towards the side of the house. In the process, we had scaled some hedges and I wasn't entirely sure where Anna had gone. Before I could ask what was going on, though, a light emerged in the darkness.

"Hello?" A man called, sounding a little wary. "Anyone there? This is private property."

Oh. I got it— and by that, my eyes had grown round and my pulse immediately spiked.

"Is someone there?" The man called again, flashing both a flashlight and electric lantern around the expansive yard.

I was pressed between Rudolf and the wall and I was almost giddy with possibility of being caught; it took both of my hands pressed over my mouth from giving away our hiding spot. Although, after the initial excitement had worn down, I noticed there was no gentle thumping of a heart sounding in my ear. Needless to say, it sort of sobered the moment. I frowned a little, lifting my head to catch his attention. I wanted him to be human again. It was selfish, maybe, but I wanted him to be with me. So we could live long, healthy lives of doing and seeing everything together, our hearts eventually giving out to natural reasons. He looked down at me and beamed, his lips coming to press a small kiss to my nose. Nuzzling into his shoulder, I stifled a sigh into my hands, which still covered my mouth.

I waited a beat after the lantern had been turned off and a door shut, before grabbing his hand and pulling him off again on our search, the fervor for finding the amulet renewed.

When Anna basically reappeared in front of us, she looked about as excited as we just had. "This is fun. We should have been doing it like this from the beginning."

Rudolf chuckled and nodded along. However, a beat later, his face grew serious. "Let's split up." It wasn't really a suggestion.

Anna scoffed, her shoulders slumping, as she put her hands on her hips. "That's so transparent, Rudolf. Besides, shouldn't I have a man to protect me?"

"Tell me, what man is stronger than you?" He asked pointedly, then looked to me. "And as handsome as he is, clearly, he is not your champion."

"Hey!" I hissed, smacking the vampire in the side.

While Anna had managed to not laugh, she definitely couldn't keep the smile off of her face. She then gave an airy sort of defeated sigh, waving her finger in front of her brother's nose. "I swear, if I hear or smell anything that doesn't remotely relate to amulet searching, I'm kidnapping Tony and I'm never giving him back."

"I would love to see you try." He returned just as cheerily and sarcastic.

While Anna had taken the other part of the yard, we kept wandering further back, past a row of trees; we were still on a path, though, so surely, it had to lead somewhere. We walked quietly, side by side, with his arm around my shoulders once again. It was a surprisingly comforting gesture, one that still felt like I could retain whatever scraps of masculinity I actually had left. As a minute or so passed, I squinted, catching lighter stone pillars encompassing a building. We walked through the entrance, still looking around, hoping to find something worth looking through.

"What is this place?" I asked, squinting and hesitantly reaching out and touching the doors.

Rudolf ran his hand near mine, looking up, "It looks like a family mausoleum." He brought his hand back down, giving the door handle a tentative tug. "It's locked… we could just break it down, but that would surely bring unwanted attention. We're already pushing our luck as it is."

"I'm coming here tomorrow with my dad…" I suggested.

There was a beat of hesitation, before Rudolf scooped me up, nodding. "Great. Then shall we be going?"

"_Rudolf_!"

He sighed, "Tony. I'm not giving up and you know it. But like I've already said, we don't know if the amulet is even inside here. For all we know, it could be in China. A hell of a lot of good it would do us if it was there and we're caught here breaking into private property."

My eyes narrowed as I started to attempt to break free. "I thought you didn't get caught."

"Let's not argue." The next thing I knew, his grip on me had tightened and we had lifted off of the ground, Rudolf letting out the same low, resonating whistle that Anna had tried to teach me.

And of course, there was suddenly a swish of blonde hair in the moonlight and Anna was with us. "Did you find anything?"

Rudolf shook his head. "We're getting Tony back home."

Her brows furrowed. "Why?"

"Because our brother tried to kill him. Do I need any other reason to get him home in a reasonable fashion?"

Anna's lips turned downwards. That seemed to conclude any discussion that might have happened. But when we landed by the car, Anna spoke up again, "Rudolf, would you mind checking up on Ash? I think she and Larissa ought to be back by now."

The younger vampire's eyes narrowed. "What do you want with Tony?"

"Brother dear, I just want to _speak_ with him; I'm not going to seduce him. So, please, go check on Ashlyn."

She waited for him to spend a few moments looking between her and I, until he finally launched upwards with a lingering warning of, "Don't let anything happen to him."

She rolled her eyes, turning back to me, shrugging. The blonde vampire did wait until we got into the car before she began again. "So… what happened?"

"Uh, when?"

Anna gave me a pointed look, patting my knee. "Everything that happened since Rudolf left."

Starting the car, I chewed on my lip a moment before I gave the brief run-down of everything that had happened.

"Hm. All right," she looked rather pensive as she leaned back in her seat. But after another moment, she sat up, bringing her hands together to rest against the dashboard. "Sorry, I only ask because Rudolf wouldn't really tell me what was going on. So, as we already sort of established, you've slept together then?" When I nodded, she sighed a little. "I know it was hard for you, darling, but in his defense, he's already steeling his mind for this." Leaning forward, her hand brushed my cheek and I couldn't help but to frown some. "He loves you so very much… I wish you could have seen him… it was honestly down-right heartbreaking."

As she made a move to cover my eyes, I shook my head. "Don't! I'm driving!" Was she crazy? Well… that, and I didn't really want to see…

"Has he told you, then?" At the blank look, she laughed a little. "I'll take that as a no. Since you've already seen his… other form, I suppose this won't come as much of a surprise, but when Ashlyn got down there and told us what had happened, it took all of two seconds before he had turned, raging all hell's fire." She shook her head a little, a small smile on her lips. "But… Ashlyn wasn't about to have that. She certainly is a tempest in a teacup." Things got quiet again. "…did… did Greg give her those…?" She made a vague scratching motion across her face.

I nodded slowly. "She didn't tell you that?"

"She really only mentioned what he did to you, so I could only assume."

"Yeah…" By this point, I was frowning, too. "She shouldn't have been hurt protecting me like that."

Anna suddenly ruffled my hair. "Don't say that, darling. It would be hard not to notice, but even though Larissa and Ash are my friends, they are very profoundly fond of Rudolf. He told them of our lives on his own; he really trusts them. We… as vampires, really value love, Tony. It's hard like this to find someone you could spend eternity with; it isn't like we can just go around finding mates. But the three of us know that he found you. He values you above everything right now. It's… it's beautiful, really… We promised each other to protect you no matter what. He's gone through so much. He deserves happiness now."

We had arrived back at my house towards the latter part of her confession, so we were still just sitting in the car. I scooted a little to my left, giving her a hug over the center console. "Thank you, Anna… thank you so, so much." Even though I tried to smile, it did end up faltering, "…but… even with your efforts, isn't he going to only end up alone one day?"

The vampire took my hand, smiling warmly. "I will not let that happen, Tony. If the comet passes and nothing proves fruitful, I will change you myself when the time comes. I won't let anything come between you two. Just make my brother happy; and soon enough, you'll be another brother to me, Tony, dear!" She was practically beaming as she brought her nose to mine.

Thank God. Thank God for sisters like Anna. I hugged her again; I was so completely, blissfully overwhelmed. Things were going to be okay. Even if we didn't find the amulet, my future was set. We could all be together. It would be beautiful.

"However," she said, holding up a finger. "Until then, I'll still be teasing him and you ought to keep bothering him to change you… if either of us give up at this point, he'll be suspicious."

"Okay." I could do that.

We got out of the car, slowly making our way upstairs. Laughing, I listened to Anna go off about wanting to plan our semblance of a wedding and how she was going to somehow coerce her father into being the one who married us. The entire mental image was down-right hilarious and it was just kind of massive relief knowing she was full-heartedly on our side for this.

A few more minutes passed as I went around my room, trying to straighten some things up while Anna continued to fill the silence now with the obvious differences between past suitors she had and men around these days. "Sure, they have a sense of fashion, but honestly, no sense of chivalry, not like you, Tony. It seems to be the opposite in your case—" As I was about to make some kind of snide comeback, suddenly, Anna turned smugly towards the window. "See? I haven't ravished your lovely human. Although, I can't promise I didn't try."

"Ha ha ha," Rudolf laughed dryly, landing on the balcony, stepping gracefully in the room.

"How's Ashlyn doing?" I asked.

He looked between me and Anna, before finally the floor. "Ashlyn is… surprisingly, going amulet hunting."

I grinned.

"Oh, don't look at me like that, Tony. She's only doing it because Larissa talked her into it. Something about venting frustration in a positive way." He gave a dismissive wave of his hand before he put a hand to his hip. "Now, sister, dear… aren't you leaving?"

Anna rolled her eyes. "Right. Sure, I am." As she walked towards the window, she mimicked his hand gesture, before stopping, intentionally sticking her hip out to the side and putting her hand on her hip as well. "I'm Rudolf and I'm sure no one thinks I like boys." She gave him what looked like could have been a playful back kick, but it sent him stumbling towards the bed. "Smooth, Rudy," grinning back at me, she gave a brief wave. "Good night, boys." And with that, she left.

I couldn't help but laugh a little, as I returned to the bed, smiling up at the vampire. "She's funny. But Ashlyn and Larissa are all right?"

Nodding, he sat down beside me, "Yes. Obviously, they're no longer staying with my parents, but they figured they might as well put forth some effort, too, especially since it'll keep Ashlyn's mind off of things."

Humming in agreement, I hugged his waist, half nudging him, so that eventually he was lying down, me resting on his stomach. "Rudolf…?"

"Yes?"

"Is it time for bed yet?"

He lifted his head off the bed to look at me skeptically. "Oh, of course, _now_ you're tired."

I only smiled back at him before I yawned. Only a moment later, I felt his hand in my hair; it trailed down to cup my cheek and then finally, turned my head. "How does it look?" I asked with a smile still on my lips. There really wasn't much I could do in way of hiding the hicky, unless there happened to be freak snow storm that would actually compel me to wear a turtleneck. On the other hand, I didn't really _want_ to hide it. I snuggled further against his front, letting my eyes close.

"It's… there."

"For some reason, that didn't sound very reassuring."

"You shouldn't worry about it, Tony. Just sleep." As he continued to run his hand through my hair, letting his nails drag against my skin, I shivered pleasantly, smiling as he whispered, "Good night, my love."


End file.
